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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 

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UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 



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FROM 



ATTIC TO CELLAR 



Housekeeping Made Easy, 



BY 



Mrs. Elizabeth F. Holt. 



SALEM : ^ 

THE SALEM PRESS PUBLISHING AND PRINTING CO. 

Ubc Salcm Iprcss. 






AX^^K 




Copyrighted 1892, 
By the Salem Press Publishing and Printing Co- 



CONTENTS. 



Page 
Preface. vii 

Chapter I — The Kitchen, . . . i 

Chapter II — Bedrooms, ... 9 

Chapter III — Other rooms in the House, 19 

Chapter IV — Mistress and Maid, . . 30 

Chapter V — How to train a Waitress : 

Breakfast, 38 

Chapter VI — How to train a Waitress : 

Lunch, . . . . -47 

(iii) 



IV CONTENTS. 

Chapter VII — How to train a Waitress : 

Dinner, . . . . '54 

Chapter VIII— How to train a Waitress : 
Chamber work and Front- door ser- 
vice, ...... 64 

Chapter IX — The Range and Fuel, . 72 

Chapter X — Washing, .... 80 

Chapter XI — Starching, SprinkHng and 



±*oiamg, ..... 


93 


Chapter XH — Ironing, 


98 


Chapter XIII — Sweeping and Dusting, 


103 


Chapter XIV — Dishwashing : Care of the 




Sink, . . . 


T08 


Chapter XV— Tlie Care of Lamps, 


117 



Chapter XVI — House Cleaning, . .121 



CONTENTS. V 

Chapter XVII— The Care of Woollens 

and Furs, ..... 137 

Chapter XVIII — Sunday Dinner and Tea, 1 4 1 

Chapter XIX — Things worth Knowing : 



Danger in Plated Ware, 


. 146 


To Clean Silver, 


. 147 


How to Wash Windows, 


. 147 


How to test the heat of an Oven, 


148 


How to fumigate a Room, 


. 149 


The Mattress, 


. 150 


The Ice Chest, 


. 152 


Chapter XX — Bits of Experience, 


• 154 


Chapter XXI — In the way of Advice, 


160 



PREFACE. 



A PRACTICAL knowledge of the de- 
tails of housekeeping is as necessary to 
insure success in making a home, as for 
any business in which one engages, and 
the woman who finds herself at the head 
of a household without this knowledge 
is in need of all the assistance that the 
experience of others can give her. 

It is not the purpose of this work to 
give anything in the line of cooking. 
There are many valuable cook books al- 
ready in the market, which have been 

issued for that purpose. 

(vii) 



Vlll PREFACE. 

The book is designed to give practical 
help in the daily routine of household 
work to women who are in need of such 
knowledge. Several of these papers 
have been published in the Household. 



CHAPTER I. 

THE KITCHEN. 

®T^HE kitchen is the centre of the household 
-*- and from '• will radiate comfort or discom- 
fort for every member of the family. It should be 
the first room to receive attention when furnish- 
ing a house. Unfortunately, it is often the last. 

Young people about to marry usually com- 
mence with the parlor and end with the kitchen, 
using whatever money is left for that room. This 
is a mistake which they soon discover themselves. 
The kitchen ought to be planned for first. 

If one has but a limited amount for furnishing 
a house it would be well to portion it out for each 
room, according to the importance that these 
rooms will exercise over the comfort of the in- 
mates, and then take the amount decided upon, 

(0 



2 FROM ATTIC TO CELLAR : OR 

and go over the rooms separately, making a list 
of things actually necessary, leaving the orna- 
mental entirely out of consideration. It is aston- 
ishing to note how even bare necessities will 
count up. 

With most of the modern houses that are rent- 
ed the range is usually included ; when this is not 
the case, a good range will take quite a little of 
the amount devoted to the kitchen. 

Do not forget any of the labor-saving machines ; 
rather retrench if need be in the furnishings of 
the parlor, or the china for the table, than in the 
kitchen, especially if for economy one is not able 
to command good service and the mistress must 
do a part of the work for the household. 

The kitchen is the foundation of the health 
and happiness of the family, and every house- 
keeper should have it under strict surveillance, 
and insist that it is kept neat and clean. 

As the large majority of women cannot have 
a kitchen built for them, but must make the best 
of the one they already have, it is useless to go 
into the details of an ideal kitchen. 



HOUSEKEEPING MADE EASY. 3 

But a small proportion of women are favored 
with a large sunny room that can be easily venti- 
lated. They must therefore use judgment and 
common sense to invent ways and means of 
counteracting any deficiency that may exist in 
their particular kitchen. 

Perhaps the most important requisite is good 
ventilation. The air should be changed frequently 
if the room is small, as it soon becomes vitiated 
with the smoke, stove gas, odor from cooking, and 
drainage from the sink, combined with the exha- 
lations from the lungs of the occupants. 

Every kitchen ought to contain two tables : one 
for use as a dining table for the servant, and 
another larger one for cooking purposes, which 
need not be the regulation kitchen table with 
drop leaf and one or two drawers, but should be 
made of pine, by a carpenter according to meas- 
urement of the space that can be spared for it, 
and the top of it should be covered with white 
enamelled cloth, that is easily kept clean. 

The lower part, instead of being provided with 



4 FROM ATTIC TO CELLAR: OR 

legs, can be utilized for shelves, drawers and cup- 
boards for holding kitchen utensils. 

In the drawers may be kept tin measuring cups, 
potato masher, lemon squeezer, egg beaters, kitch- 
en knives, forks and spoons, can-opener, cork- 
screw, mixing spoons, etc. 

On the shelves there should be room for a 
bowl of sifted pastry flour, and another one of 
bread flour. Salt, spices, baking powder, sugar and 
other ingredients, should also find a place there. 

The cupboards will accommodate the buckets 
of graham, rye and Indian meal, and hooks about 
the side will be convenient for hanging gem and 
biscuit pans. 

There should be some thought given to the 
construction of such a table, that it may be 
planned with reference to each one's special and 
individual need. 

A chest of drawers in a kitchen will be found a 
great convenience for holding kitchen table linen, 
towels, dish cloths, strainers, etc., and an adjusta- 
ble shelf attached to the wall by means of hinges, 



HOUSEKEEPING MADE EASY. 5 

with a piece of wood below it, that can turn out 
forming a support, will make an excellent ironing 
table, which can be let down against the wall 
when not required for use. 

Directly over this can be placed two shelves 
made with partitions for holding flat irons, stands, 
holders, cloths for wiping irons, wax, clothes 
sprinkler, etc. A linen curtain suspended from a 
brass rod attached to the shelves, will keep the 
contents free from dust, and it can be easily laun- 
dered when necessary. 

In many homes, housework is mere drudgery 
simply because no thought has been given to the 
arrangement and furnishings. A woman's work- 
shop ought to be as well supplied with working 
tools as her husband's is. 

If the floor of the kitchen is of soft wood an oil 
cloth is almost a necessity unless it is painted, 
but nearly all modern kitchens are provided with 
a hard wood floor which can be easily washed 
and kept clean. 

In front of the range there should be a piece 



6 FROM AITIC TO CELLAR: OR 

of zinc fully a yard square. This can be scoured 
frequently and is a safeguard against pieces of 
hot coal which often drop from the stove. 

Near the range, a set of towel supports that 
can be lowered or raised as needed, should be 
firmly screwed to the wall, for the accommoda- 
tion of wet dish cloths, towels, etc. 

Brooms, brushes and dust-pans should not be 
hung on the inside of the closet door where they 
will rattle or fall whenever it is opened or shut. 

If there is no small closet near the kitchen that 
can be devoted to them, let the carpenter make 
one sufficiently large to contain these, also the 
ironing board, clothes basket and clothes-pin bag. 

Brooms ought never to stand in a corner as 
they soon get bent and out of shape. A stout 
cord for hanging them by should be placed in 
the handle. 

An oil stove will be found a great convenience 
as well as an economy at certain times. During 
the hot summer weather it is desirable to dispense 
with the fire in the range, and an oil stove that is 



HOUSEKEEPING MADE EASY. 7 

well constructed, if used with care and kept clean, 
will last many years. 

Keep the ice chest as near the kitchen as pos- 
sible ; it will save many steps. 

If there is a closet under your sink, as there is 
in most houses that have not been built recently, 
remove it, and find a place elsewhere for the pots, 
kettles, dish cloth and stove blacking utensils 
that are usually kept there. In too many kitch- 
ens it is a receptacle for damp rags and a breed- 
ing place for water bugs and cockroaches. 

If there are no up-stairs windows in a neigh- 
bor's house in close proximity for overlooking 
your kitchen, it will be found better to dispense 
with shades and supply the lower half of the 
window with cross-barred muslin sash curtains 
that can be easily laundered ; the upper part 
of the window to be left uncovered for light, air, 
and better ventilation. 

Three strong wooden chairs, and one comfort- 
able wooden rocking chair should be included in 
the kitchen furniture. 



8 FROM ATTIC TO CELLAR. 

In regard to the articles needed for culinary 
purposes, one's purse and the size of the family 
must regulate their number. Whatever can be 
purchased in granite ware rather than tin or iron 
ware will prove in the end economy of time as 
well as money, for granite ware is easily kept 
clean, and does not need to be scoured. 

It is not well to have too many large dishes ; 
they are not easily handled and the smaller sauce- 
pans and bowls are more convenient. 

Anything that will save labor should be planned 
for. As a general thing a cook or general house- 
maid will appreciate ''the conveniences" as much 
as you do yourself, and it may help to make the 
vexed question of domestic service an easier 
problem for you. 



CHAPTER II 

BED ROOMS. 

THE craze for littering a house with orna- 
ments and bric-a-brac, of crowding every 
available square inch of floor room with furniture, 
that an artistic and home-like appearance may 
be obtained, has been carried to excess. 

Simplicity and utility can be combined with 
beauty in a way that will express individuality 
and refinement in the home, without the mean- 
ingless array of tidies and sofa pillows too fine 
to rest one's head against, befrilled lamp shades, 
that exclude the light, and foot cushions that are 
stumbling blocks to those whose eyesight is de- 
fective. 

If there is any calling in which there is a wide 
field for women, it is architecture. In the aver- 

(9) 



lO FROM ATTIC TO CELLAR : OR 

age home, the chambers are often the smallest 
and most inconvenient rooms in the house, situ- 
ated perhaps on the shady side, with no definite 
place planned for the bed, which must frequently 
be where-the wind will blow directly on the sleep- 
er's head if the one window is left open at night. 

When we take into consideration the fact that 
about one-third of our lives is spent in our sleep- 
ing rooms, it would seem imperative that we give 
earnest thought and attention to the requirements 
necessary for the health of the occupants. 

Rooms situated on the north side of the house, 
should never be used as chambers except for 
guests who occupy them only occasionally. The 
lack of sunshine and good ventilation in a cham- 
ber is sufficient of itself to account for many of 
the ills with which we are afflicted. 

For suburban residences it will be found that 
a small veranda protected from the gaze of pass- 
ers, and that opens from a chamber window, will 
be of great advantage in airing and purifying the 
bed-clothing. 



HOUSEKEEPING MADE EASY. II 

At least once a week pillow-slips should be 
removed, the pillows beaten with a rattan beater, 
and left for an hour in the air, where the sun will 
not shine directly upon them, as the heat of the 
sun will draw out the oil from the feathers. If 
there is no veranda, the clothes line in the yard, 
although not so convenient, will answer the pur- 
pose. 

The bed ought to be so arranged that one can 
go around it without moving it from place in or- 
der to make it up. 

Physicians assert that it is not healthful to sleep 
near the wall on account of dampness, and also 
because one's breath is thrown back from a wall, 
and inhaled again. 

Children should not sleep with adults and es- 
pecially not with an elderly person. 

' It is considered far more healthful for grown 
people to occupy different beds. The air which 
surrounds the body under the bed clothing is 
exceedingly impure, being impregnated with, the 
poisonous substances which have escaped through 



1 2 FROM ATTIC TO CELLAR : OR 

the pores of the skin. Celebrated physicians have 
condemned the double bed. 

It is said that no two persons can sleep in this 
way regularly for any length of time, withcmt feel- 
ing ill effects from it. The more robust person 
is sure to draw nervous force from the more del- 
icate one. 

Two small bedsteads will not take much more 
space than a double bed. It is seldom that two 
people require the same amount of clothing over 
them, and with two beds this can be more easily 
regulated. 

If there is any one thing in house furnishing 
where a housewife is justified in being extravagant 
it is in the appointments for the bed. Easy 
springs, a good hair mattress, and soft warm blan- 
kets, are conducive to healthful sleep, and a good 
promoter of happiness. 

Strong, plain, substantial-looking furniture 
which is easily kept clean, will prove more satis- 
factory in the long run, than either the carved, 
or the graceful slender styles which look more 
attractive in the salesrooms. 



HOUSEKEEPING MADE EASY. 1 3 

If brass bedsteads are too expensive, an iron 
bedstead painted white, with draperies of white 
dotted mushn and an all white dressing, is not 
only pretty and dainty to look upon, but is com- 
mended to housekeepers because it is easy to 
keep in order — the furnishings can be readily 
laundered and a fresh coat of paint will make it 
look like new. 

Now that the set bowls in bedrooms have been 
so generally condemned as unhealthful, more at- 
tention has been paid to the construction of the 
wash stand. The large ones are much more con- 
venient than those of smaller size. 

There should be ample room for the pitcher 
to stand beside the bowl, so that it need not be 
lifted from it when water is needed and it is de- 
sirable to have plenty of space for glycerine, 
bay rum and tooth powder bottles, as well as the 
other belongings of the toilet set. 

I4i a bed room above all other rooms do not 
carpet the floor. A hard wood floor provided 
with a few rugs is best, both on account of neat- 



14 FROM ATl'IC TO CELLAR: OR 

iiess and health. The carpet conceals an enor- 
mous amount of refuse, and tells no tales of what 
it harbors. 

Where there is no hard wood floor the cracks 
may be first filled with putty, and the floor stained 
and finished with an oil finish, or it may be 
painted. 

There should be no portieres in a bed room 
and the draperies should be of thin cotton tex- 
ture that can be often laundered. The less fur- 
niture in the room, the better. Rattan or willow 
chairs with removable cushions that are covered 
with some cotton material are desirable. 

A screen high enough to protect one from the 
draught of an open window at night is almost as 
necessary as a bedstead. 

Those who are fortunate enough to be able to 
bufld their house as they choose, if they follow 
the advice of eminent physicians, will not paper 
the walls of their bed rooms, which should be 
finished in hard plaster with a smooth finish and 
then tinted — nor will they paint the woodwork, 



HOUSEKEEPING MADE EASY. 1 5 

which should be of hard wood, and finished in 
oil. 

The rooms set apart foi the use of the servant, 
are generally speaking, small, cold and cheerless. 
Often there is only a skylight for admitting air 
and light. 

When there is one window the bed may be of 
necessity so near it that it cannot be opened at 
night for proper ventilation, and in consequence 
the occupant must breathe poisoned air through 
the hours when she should be getting rest and 
strength for the coming day's work. 

Is it to be wondered at that she is often ill- 
natured and irritable during the day, or that she 
is inclined to slight her work if her head aches, 
and get through with it as easily as she can? 
Many mistresses have been known to do the 
same. 

When it is necessary through lack of good 
sleeping rooms, that a servant should occupy such 
a one as referred to, a tall screen should be pro- 
vided that will effectually protect the head of the 
sleeper from the air. 



1 6 FROM ATTIC TO CELLAR: OR 

The servant's rooms should be furnished mainly 
with reference to sanitary conditions. If possi- 
ble the walls should be painted instead of pa- 
pered a warm light tint that will brighten the 
room and make it seem home-like. 

The floor should be painted with the brownish 
yellow shade which is cheerful looking and wears 
well. 

One breadth of carpeting should be tacked 
across the room beside the bed, and a small rug 
or mat placed before the wash stand and bureau. 

A closet is a necessity and if the room is not 
provided with it, a temporary one should be man- 
ufactured by means of a shelf and curtain. 

The bed should be a single one of iron and 
of the simplest construction, that it may be easily 
cleaned. It should be provided with a woven 
wire spring and a mattress. One made entirely 
of cotton is very comfortable, or an excelsior 
mattress with cotton top and bottom will answer 
the purpose and is inexpensive. 

One feather pillow of moderate size is sufficient 
for a single bed. 



HOUSEKEEPING MADE EASY. I 7 

The sheets and pillow slips may be of un- 
bleached cotton if preferred for wear. Blankets 
instead of comfortables should be provided for 
bedding as it is necessary that they be washed 
often. Also a white honeycomb spread which is 
inexpensive, and so light that it is as easily laun- 
dered as a sheet. 

A high-back rocking chair with arms, such as 
are commonly used for piazza will be found very 
comfortable for a girl to rest in when she is tired 
and goes to her room. This, with one common 
cane-seated chair is sufficient if only one servant 
occupies the room ; if there are two, another single 
bed should be provided, also an extra rocking 
chair, plain chair, bureau and wash stand. 

When it is possible to give servants separate 
rooms it shoald be done, as there will be greater 
harmony between them, and less "talking over" 
their mistress ; but where this is an impossibility 
separate beds ought in all cases to be provided. 

Cheese-cloth curtains finished with a broad 
hem and looped back with bands of the same 



1 8 FROM ATTIC TO CELLAR. 

are very inexpensive, can be easily laundered and 
will add much to the attractive appearance of the 
room. 

A white linen cover plainly hemmed, with a 
good-sized pin cushion filled with pins resting 
on it is suggestive of a homelike feeling. And 
a set of cheap pine book shelves screwed to the 
wall, which will hold an alarm clock, a few books 
and perhaps a few prized possessions that are 
ordinarily kept in the owner's trunk, may go a 
great way toward making a girl feel contented 
with the quarters into which she has drifted, and 
perhaps stimulate her to do her best to retain her 
place, and merit the good will of her employer. 



CHAPTER III. 

OTHER ROOMS IN THE HOUSE. 

you can often judge more accurately of a 
family by their dining room than by their 
parlor. It is not always the finest table-linen or 
the choicest china that betokens refinement, or 
that gives an inviting "homey" look to the table. 
The personality of the mistress is plainly stamped 
here, and the purse has very little to do with it. 
It will be economy to purchase a strong sub- 
stantial dining room table and chairs that will 
last many years. Omit the sideboard if neces- 
sary rather than purchase one at the expense of 
the more necessary furnishings. 

The same may be said of all the furniture 
that you purchase. Select it with a view to keep- 
ing it, not to disposing of it when you feel you 

(i9J 



20 FROM AITIC TO CELLAR : OR 

can afford anything better. Rather purchase 
the different articles piece by piece and bide 
your time, even if your home does have a bare 
unfurnished look about it. 

The most hospitable woman of my acquaint- 
ance lives in a small old-fashioned house that 
has a little box of a dining room, without even 
a sideboard to grace it, and yet I have never seen 
one in any grand establishment which has home 
happiness and refinement so plainly written upon 
it. 

Every Saturday night it is well understood by 
her friends that they are at liberty to drop in to 
supper, and there are many to avail themselves 
of this privilege although the bill of fare for this 
night never varies from one year's end to the 
other. 

They always know that there will be beans and 
brown bread cooked in the good old fashioned 
way, delicious coffee with cream, and light feath- 
ery biscuits with melted maple sugar. 

Not an elaborate menu certainly or an expen- 



HOUSEKEEPING MADE EASY. 21 

sive one, but one is sure to meet delightful peo- 
ple there, and the hostess is the most popular lit- 
tle woman of my acquaintance. 

I was there one Saturday evening when there 
were nine friends who had "dropped in" and I 
became a little uneasy for our hostess, who sat 
chatting as unconcernedly as if she had the re- 
sources of a hotel to draw upon. 

I need not have had any fears, as I afterwards 
learned, for sufficient beans and brown bread 
were always provided for fifteen people baked 
the previous day in order that "reception night," 
as it was called in the family, might not be too 
much of a tax on the one housemaid. 

They were warmed over before supper, and 
what was left did duty for Monday morning's 
breakfast, and for soup Tuesday at dinner. 

The children of the hostess, a little girl and 
boy, ten and twelve years old, always waited on 
the table "reception night" and better service I 
have seldom seen. 

"We believe it is an education for them," their 
mother said one day when referring to it ; "for 



2 2 FROM ATTIC TO CELLAR: OR 

it has taught them to be quick in their move- 
ments, and attentive to the wants of the guests, 
and with it all they are interested in the conver- 
sation and enjoy it. 

I could not expect the maid to cook and wait 
upon our guests at the same time, so we have 
tried to make a virtue of necessity and the chil- 
dren are delighted to do it, and enjoy our Sat- 
urday nights as much as we do." 

This wise mother is a thorough housekeeper, 
and understands the value of system in the work 
of the household — that the kitchen is responsible 
for success in the dining room, that it is good for 
us to gather friends about our table, and that in 
order to be able to do this we must know the 
possibihties of every dollar in the way of food, 
and what it is right for us to spend in that way. 

The result is that, with a small income they 
have a home aroun-d M^hich is an atmosphere of 
love, happiness, comfort and hospitality, which 
one insensibly feels when they enter the house. 

A sewing room is by no means the necessity in 



HOUSEKEEPING MADE EASY. 23 

a house that a dining room is, but if there is a 
small room that can be set apart for this purpose, 
much practical use and comfort may be obtained 
from it, which would readily be appreciated by 
those who are not so situated that they can in- 
dulge in this luxury, and must make use of bed 
room or sitting room for the family sewing. 

It is the one room in the house which should 
be thoroughly practical. It should have no car- 
pet, no draperies, no extra furniture, and nothing 
in the way of bric-a-brac or ornaments of any 
kind, unless they are made to serve a purpose. 

It needs a chest of drawers, a dining room ta- 
ble, a small cutting table that can be folded up, 
a paper lap-board, a sewing machine, a dress 
form, one or two sewing chairs and a footstool. 
Besides these almost necessary articles of fur- 
niture there are bags or pockets, made of stout 
denim or cretonne, for patterns, pieces of cloth, 
woolen pieces, braids, tapes, etc., which are made 
like shoe-bags, to be hung on the inside of the 
closet door. 

A scrap-basket and a rag bag are both neces- 



24 FROM ATTIC TO CELLAR : OR 

sary. The latter can be made of cretonne or 
denim, so that it can be hung in the room in plain 
sight instead of the closet where it usually crowds 
other clothing and is troublesome to get at. 

A sewing room ought to be a place where one 
can cut and litter to any degree that seems ne- 
cessary, and feel that it will be no great task to 
make the room tidy again. 

There are as many varieties of "guest cham- 
bers" as there are housekeepers, and it does not 
always follow that the one which affords most 
comfort to the tired traveller is found in the home 
where wealth is abundant. 

The bed is the most important article of fur- 
niture, and should receive the most careful over- 
sight and attention from the hostess. 

If the income is limited, purchase a cheap, 
painted set of furniture, and put the larger share 
of the money that you have appropriated for the 
furnishings of this room into a good set of springs, 
mattress and pillows for the bed. 

Be sure that the sheets are long enough to tuck 
in firmly at the foot, the blankets wide enough to 



HOUSEKEEPING MADE EASY. 25 

cover the bed and reach a little distance over the 
sides, that there are a sufficient number of them, 
with an extra cover for the one whose circulation 
is poor, and never mind about the sham bolster 
tied up with bows at the end, or the ruffled pil- 
low-slips, or the embroidered spread, if to pur- 
chase them you must scrimp on some of the es- 
sentials of the bed. The bed should always be 
freshly made when occupied, as it draws damp- 
ness if not aired every day, and this is one rea- 
son why many people take cold when going away 
from home to sleep. 

If all the appointments of the wash-stand be 
complete and satisfactory, your guest will not feel 
disturbed if the china is of the plainest and cheap- 
est white ware. 

If the room is lighted by electricity be sure 
that the method is thoroughly understood by the 
guest. If there is any peculiarity in regard to 
the burner of the lamp, explain it, and place a can- 
dle with matches on a stand by the bed, so that 
light may be had without rising if necessary. 



26 FROM ATTIC TO CELLAR : OR 

Have a clock in the room that will keep good 
time, and see to it yourself that it is wound, in- 
forming your guest the hour for breakfast, and 
also ascertaining if he wishes to be called in the 
morning. 

With such a guest-chamber one need have no 
fear for the comfort of "the stranger within our 
gates," even if there are no pretty draperies or 
costly rugs, or any of the dainty appointments 
that wealth can purchase, and which are by no 
means to be despised or omitted if the income 
will warrant it. 

Rugs, pictures, books and ornaments add much 
to the attractive appearance of the room. 

An easy rocking chair, hassock or stool, a lit- 
tle bookcase and a good lamp go far towards 
giving the room a cosey and homelike air. 

If to these can be added, a writing desk or 
table fully equipped with writing material, a work 
basket fitted with thimble, needles, white cotton, 
sewing silk and linen thread, scissors, boot but- 
tons, etc., it will approach nearer to the ideal guest 



HOUSEKEEPING MADE EASY. 2 J 

chamber that almost every woman has at some 
time pictured for herself. 

The thing to be avoided is a superfluity of or- 
naments which are only in the way and which the 
guest has a wholesome dread of breaking. 

There should be nothing in a guest chamber 
that is too good to be used, but kind thoughts 
manifested in these small attentions to the com- 
fort and welfare of a guest are as much of a 
welcome as words. 

If there are children in your home, and there 
is a room that you can spare for them as a nur- 
sery, do so, for it will give happiness to them, 
and comfort to yourself. Let it be their room 
exclusively, and do not because it is a sunny room 
put plants in the windows, but leave them for 
the little ones to look out of whenever they 
choose. 

Paint the floor a warm sunshiny tint and scat- 
ter a few mats or rugs about it. 

Get a packing box for the little girls to make 
into a doll's house, and another for the boys to 



28 FROM ATTIC TO CELLAR : OR 

convert into a stable, freight-house, or whatever 
they prefer. 

If the boys are old enough to know the use of 
carpenters' tools, put a wooden bench in one cor- 
ner, and a box to hold a screw-driver, hammer, 
tacks, awl, saw and plane. 

Screw some shelves on the wall, low enough 
for the children to reach the books on them. 
Let the boy's books be kept there, the story books 
for the girls, Mother Goose, and the picture and 
scrap books. 

Have as little furniture as possible in the room, 
and have that little, strong and plain. A round 
table with castors, that may be pushed about eas- 
ily, and on it a small basket, with needles, scis- 
sors and thread, for dollie's clothes. 

There should be an extra pair of blunt pointed 
scissors, and a bottle of mucilage on the table 
for the pictures in magazines that are to be trans- 
ferred to the scrap book, and a tray to hold nu- 
merous odds and ends of lead and slate pencils, 
bits of chalk, etc. 



HOUSEKEEPING MADE EASY. 29 

A blackboard, and one or two school room 
desks and seats, will add to the happiness of the 
children, who, almost universally, enjoy playing 
school. 

Let them make all the noise they wish to there, 
and invite their litde playfellows to join them. 

The charm and freedom of this room will be 
a bright spot for the children to look back upon 
when they are "men and women grown tall." 

In regard to the parlor, let it be the last room 
furnished, but exercise all the taste and judgment 
that you have, in the furnishing ; bearing in mind 
that the sense of comfort in your belongings and 
the feeling that they are not too nice or too del- 
icate for use, will far outweigh in the long run 
any feeling of pride in a dainty artistic-looking 
room which is charming as a reception room for 
your callers, but not practical as a living room 
for your family. 



CHAPTER IV. 

MISTRESS AND MAID. 

/^NE of the most difficult things that a house- 
^ keeper must meet is the servant question. 

How often do we hear women say, "If I were 
strong enough to do the work of the household I 
would do it, and be independent." 

But even with the requisite amount of strength 
and the most favorable conditions, unless circum- 
stances render it necessary, it is not a desirable 
thing to give up a good part of one's life to the 
mere routine drudgery of housework. 

It is seldom that one has the good fortune to 

secure a servant who has been trained under a 

competent and systematic housekeeper, and it is 

usually the case that one must begin with the 

(30) 



HOUSEKEEPING MADE EASY. 3 1 

foundation, if good service is required, even when 
a most satisfactory reference is forthcoming. 

If the mistress exacts from herself a conscien- 
tious attention to detail, she is an example to 
those who serve her, and may with reason expect 
the same from them. 

A servant respects a capable mistress and will 
work better for such a one, provided other things 
are equal. 

The carelessness of the maid often reflects the 
carelessness of the mistress, and one who rec- 
ognizes the fact that the tone of her household 
will depend largely upon her own idea of what 
it ought to be, possesses a wisdom that will stand 
her in good stead. 

It is generally conceded among experienced 
housekeepers, that it is not wise to engage a 
middle-aged woman unless you have personal 
knowledge of such a one, for the reason that de- 
sirable servants of long experience are not apt 
to be looking for situations, but are passed from 
one friend's household to another. 



32 FROM AITIC TO CELLAR : OR 

When a servant is engaged her work should 
be fully stated and carefully explained, that she 
may understand exactly what is expected of her. 

If the washings are large, if the family entertain 
beyond what is usual, if her work includes any 
care of the furnace, say so frankly. It is a purely 
business-like engagement, in which the maid 
should understand the service required for the 
wages offered. 

Another important point to be settled in the 
beginning is what is commonly understood among 
servants as "privileges." These of course must 
be largely decided by the needs of the household, 
bearing in mind the fact that kitchen life is mo- 
notonous, and that church-going, and the after- 
noons and evenings out, are the only breaks in a 
week of servitude. 

In regard to church-going, the work ought to 
be so arranged that each servant can have an op- 
portunity to attend church every Sunday, and, 
nothing, except illness in the family, should be 
allowed to interfere with this arrangement. 



HOUSEKEEPING MADE EASY. 33 

When a general housework girl is the only ser- 
vant, it is usual to allow her a week day afternoon 
and evening and a Sunday afternoon and evening 
in alternate weeks. 

If it is possible to give these two afternoons 
and evenings every week, it will afford the maid 
greater pleasure, and make her better contented 
with her situation. 

If, in addition to this, another evening in the 
week is granted, it is all that any maid ought to 
expect, or a mistress accord, except on special 
occasions. 

Ten o'clock at night is late enough for any 
girl to be out of doors, and this hour for coming 
home should be rigidly insisted upon. 

Until a servant has been proved and tried, a 
mistress ought to keep money and valuables under 
lock and key, with a strict watch over all her pos- 
sessions. 

In families where there is more than one do- 
mestic, the question of the division of work is 
often a hard one to solve. No general rule can 
be given, because the number of inmates, chil- 



34 FROM AITIC TO CELLAR: OR 

dren and guests, are factors that enter into the 
consideration. 

Where there are a cook and waitress, the cook 
is expected to take charge of the kitchen, and 
whatever pertains to it, to do the cooking, wash 
the common dishes, and assist with the washing 
and ironing. 

The waitress attends to the upper portion of 
the house, waits at table, answers the bell, cleans 
silver, washes the glass, silver and china ware, 
assists with the washing and ironing, and usually 
takes care of the vestibule piazza and front door 
steps. 

There are minor duties that are divided between 
the servants according to the judgment of the 
mistress, but a perfect understanding in regard to 
them should exist from the beginning. 

When there are a cook and waitress to share the 
work between them the same privileges should 
be extended to each, and their time for going 
out so arranged that one of them shall always be 
in the house. 

If an in-door man-servant is kept, he relieves 



HOUSEKEEPING MADE EASY. 35 

the maid of the vestibule piazza, etc., and attends 
to the fires, carves, and waits at table. 

When there are young children, the duties of 
a nurse are so varied in different families, that 
they must be governed entirely by the require- 
ments, and privileges accorded in like manner. 

If the establishment is sufficiently large for 
keeping an in-door man-servant, a laundress is 
usually in the service also, unless the family laun- 
dry is attended to outside the house. 

Where there is no laundress, it is customary 
for each maid to attend to her own personal wash- 
ing and ironing. 

A woman who shows due regard for her ser- 
vants* welfare and comfort, and when appealed to 
takes an interest in their personal affairs without 
suggesting any unbecoming familiarity with them, 
will be able eventually to find servants who will 
appreciate such a home. 

If a mistress sets her standard high she will 
find those in service who will come up to it, but 
the mistress who will put up with poor service, 



^6 FROM ATTIC TO CELLAR: OR 

rather than take the trouble to make a change, is 
doing harm not only as regards the comfort of 
her household, but she is countenancing in her 
maid, something that should be reproved. 

When we pay an incompetent servant the same 
wages that we would pay to one who gives us 
better service, we are putting a premium upon 
incompetency, and creating trouble for the next 
mistress. 

A woman just as surely needs self-control, pa- 
tience and tact to be a good mistress, as to be a 
good mother. 

If fault must be found, it should not be shirked 
because of the unpleasantness attending it, but it 
should be done in a quiet, dignified way, and a 
proper time chosen for it. Let it be understood 
that you mean what you say, and obedience will 
follow, except in incorrigible cases. 

The trouble is, that in our desire to get along 
as easily as we can, we are apt at times to shut 
our eyes to things that ought to call for reproof. 

On the other hand, we may be too exacting. 



HOUSEKEEPING MADE EASY. 37 

When there is but one servant, and the house is 
large, it is well to remember that one pair of hands 
can not do everything, and a little kindly con- 
sideration, with judicious praise where it is de- 
served, will do something toward making the ma- 
chinery move easily. 

After all there is not such a tremendous differ- 
ence between mistress and maid in the power to 
appreciate the comfort of a good home. 

If we look about us, we shall find that the tried 
and faithful servant is the one who has a com- 
fortable room, whose mistress is a good house- 
keeper, and who is paid fairly good wages. 



CHAPTER V. 

HOW TO TRAIN A WAITRESS. 
BREAKFAST. 

VHEREVER a waitress is employed, each 
meal should be served with care, and at- 
tention should be given to detail, otherwise a 
mistress would not feel at ease when guests are 
present at her table, neither could a maid per- 
form satisfactorily what is required in table service 
without the experience and confidence that daily 
routine will give to her. 

A waitress should have at least three light 

print dresses, two dark colored ones, six long 

white aprons, and a pair of low shoes, with light 

soles for house wear. 

The caps are usually supplied by the mistress. 

(38) 



HOUSEKEEPING MADE EASY. 39 

Three of these are sufficient and should be simply 
made that they may be easily laundered.- 

The maid should wear a light print dress in 
the morning, with a white cap, and long white 
apron — this apron to be changed when she waits 
upon the table for a fresher one kept for that pur- 
pose alone. This should be rigidly insisted upon, 
as one of the chief requisites of a waitress is that 
she look fresh and tidy, especially at the table. 

The dress, cap and apron should be changed 
in the afternoon, two sets being kept for that 
Purpose, those used in the morning to be laun- 
dered each week, and those in the afternoon to 
be used in the morning of the next week. 

This arrangement, with a dark print dress for 
washing days and gingham aprons to be slipped 
over the white apron for certain parts of the work, 
has been found generally satisfactory for ensuring 
a tidy appearance at all times. 

A waitress should rise early enough to put the 
dining-room in order before the table is laid for 
breakfast. The windows should be opened the 



40 FROM ATTIC TO CELLAR : OR 

first thing, the room thoroughly aired, the floor 
brushed and the furniture dusted. 

The table is then covered with a white cotton 
felt that comes for this purpose, and care should 
be used in placing the table cloth evenly over 
this, that it may not present a crooked appear- 
ance, or that one corner may not be lower than 
the other. 

If fruit is to be served for the first course it 
should be placed in the centre of the table, and 
for each person should be placed a fruit plate 
upon which is a fruit doily, a finger bowl con- 
taining a little warm water, a silver fruit knife at 
the right of the bowl and a fruit- spoon at the 
left. 

A tumbler should be placed at the right of 
each plate, and a small plate for bread or muf- 
fins and butter at the left. 

At the right of the two plates there should be 
a breakfast knife with the edge of the blade 
towards the plate, a smaller silver knife for but- 
ter, and a dessert spoon with bowl turned up to 
be used for the cereals. 



HOUSEKEEPING MADE EASY. 4 1 

At the left is placed a fork with the tines turned 
up, and a napkin. 

There should be a salt receiver with salt-spoon, 
and a small pepper-box for the use of every two 
people at the table. The convenient shake salt 
is not as generally used as are the small silver and 
china salt cups. 

A waitress should know exactly what food is 
in preparation for breakfast, and provide her dish- 
es accordingly, seeing that the plates for the 
meat courses are warm. 

Table mats have been discarded by many la- 
dies, and replaced by plain white or hand painted 
china trays having a narrow rim. These come 
in a variety of shapes and sizes, and should be 
placed on the table wherever a hot dish is to be 
placed. 

A side-table will be found very convenient. It 
should be covered with a table-cloth which can 
be laundered and may be either plain or elab- 
orately embroidered. 

This side table should be large enough to ac- 



42 FROM ATTIC TO CELLAR : OR 

commodate the muffin plate, the carver and fork, 
the tablespoons for serving, a tray for serving, a 
tray for removing whatever is soiled, a small nap- 
kin for taking up anything that may be spilled, 
and a neat white towel to be used for accidental 
overturning of coffee, milk or water. 

On the side board should be placed the ice- 
water, milk, extra glasses, plates, knives, forks 
and spoons. 

A tray or tray cloth should be placed at the 
head of the table, where the lady of the house 
will sit, with the hot water kettle in the centre on 
its stand beyond her fruit plate. Care should be 
taken that the lamp is ready to be lighted. The 
sugar tray with sugar-tongs or spoon, is to be 
placed at the right of the water ketde and a bowl 
at the left of it. 

At the right of the fruit dish place a china tray 
or tiles for receiving the coffee pot and hot milk, 
with small napkin for covering the milk, and 
place the cups and saucers with spoons at the 
left of the bread and butter plate. 



HOUSEKEEPING MADE EASY. 43 

Just before announcing the breakfast the chairs 
should be placed at the table, the morning pa- 
pers where they belong, and all the arrangements 
quickly reviewed, that nothing may be forgotten. 

As soon as the breakfast has been announced, 
the maid should begin to fill the glasses two-thirds 
full with water. She will then be ready, with 
tray in hand, to serve when the family are seated. 

In serving the breakfast, the fruit dish should 
be placed on the tray and offered to each person 
at the left. If there are guests they should be 
served first ; if there are none, then the lady of 
the house. 

When the fruit course is finished everything 
pertaining to it should be removed, even though 
they have not been used. 

The maid should take a fruit plate, with finger 
bowl, knife and spoon in each hand, quickly and 
quietly to the pantry, removing any spots deftly 
with the napkin kept for the purpose. 

When all are removed the fruit dish should 
then be taken from the table, and the dish of 



44 FROM ATTIC TO CELLAR : OR 

oatmeal or other cereal preparation brought and 
placed on the tray at the foot of the table, with 
a tablespoon at the right of it. 

Before each person should then be placed an 
oatmeal saucer on a plate, and the cover of the 
dish removed to the side table, the dish placed 
on the serving tray, the spoon put in the dish, 
which should then be offered from the left to each 
person in same order as fruit was served, the 
cream and sugar passed afterwards. 

When the cereal course is finished, the cereal 
dish with its tray should be placed on the side 
table and covered, and the maid should then take 
in each hand a cereal dish and plate to the pan- 
try until all are removed. 

Another tray or a tray cloth is then placed at 
the foot of the table to receive the platter con- 
taining the meat or fish, with a small carving 
knife and tablespoon at the right of the platter 
and a small carving fork at the left, placing the 
warm plates in front of the platter. 

When the meat or fish has been placed on one 



HOUSEKEEPING MADE EASY. 45 

of the plates it should be carried on the tray to 
the right of each person served, and the maid 
should herself place it on the table in the order 
designated by the carver, who asks each one how 
he shall serve them. 

The potato dish should then be taken from the 
side table and placed, uncovered, upon the tray, 
and a tablespoon placed in the dish, which should 
then be served from the left. 

The bread plate should then be placed on the 
table with cold bread, and the muffins passed. 

When the coffee is poured, a cup should be 
taken, as soon as filled, and carried to the one 
for whom it was intended, and placed by the 
maid on the table. 

A waitress, when not employed in serving, 
should stand somewhere near the lady of the 
house, and should be quick to note anything that 
is needed by the different members of the family, 
and should be watchful of all parts of the table. 

She should instantly refill glasses of water that 
are emptied, unless carafes are used, and each 
one is expected to fill his own glass. 



46 FROM ATTIC TO CELLAR. 

A waitress ought not to show by any muscle of 
the face that she is interested or has taken any 
note of the conversation at the table. 

When the meat course has been served, and 
the muffins and bread passed, it is generally cus- 
tomary for the maid to leave the dining room in 
order that she may attend to work in other parts 
of the house, but, before doing so, she should be 
quite sure that everything which needs to be done 
has been finished. 



CHAPTER VI, 

HOW TO TRAIN A WAITRESS. 
LUNCH. 

p) EFORE the waitress commences to set the 
^-^ table for luncheon, she should air the room 
for a few minutes, and look about her to see if 
the room has lost its fresh look since breakfast. 
It may be necessary to use the dust-cloth again 
on some of the polished pieces of furniture. 

Luncheon, although an informal meal, is, per- 
haps the most dainty one of the day, and embroid- 
ered squares for the centre of the table, and small 
ones for placing underneath the plates, are exceed- 
ingly pretty on a colored table-cloth, especially if 
it is a pale gray or buff one. 

A pot of ferns, placed in one of the vases that 
come for the purpose of concealing the plain 

(47) 



4S FROM ATTIC TO CELLAR: OR 

flower-pot, is a pretty decoration for the centre 
of a lunch table, when cut flowers are not to be 
obtained. Indeed, any bright, fresh- looking plant 
that is growing in the windows adds much to the 
attractiveness of the table. 

At the head of the table should be arranged a 
place for the cocoa pot, with sugar bowl and 
tongs, teaspoons, cups and saucers. 

At the foot of the table a small carving cloth. 

If carafes are used, place one at the head and 
foot of the table at the right side, also salt and 
pepper between every two people. 

Place a luncheon plate for each person, the 
same size that is used for breakfast. At the right 
of this, place two knives, with the edges turned 
towards the plate, a soup spoon if stewed oysters 
are to be served, and a dessert spoon, two glasses, 
one for water and the other for milk. 

At the left place the small bread and butter 
plate, a fork with the tines turned up, and a nap- 
kin. 

Cut some thin slices from the loaf of bread, 



HOUSEKEEPING MADE EASY. 49 

and arrange on a bread-plate covered with a 
small doily, and have the loaf of bread on the 
bread-plate with the bread-knife, placed on the 
side-table, so that the sHces of bread may be 
quickly replenished. 

Have also on your side-table whatever is likely 
to be called for, as cheese, powdered sugar, Wor- 
cestershire sauce, also have the dessert plates 
and finger-bowls placed there. 

On the side-board have water-pitcher, extra 
glasses, knives and forks. 

See that the platter for the meat or fish to be 
served is warm, also that the plates are warmed. 

A waitress should always take a last look at 
the table, side-board and side-table to see that 
everything is in readiness before announcing the 
luncheon, and should also find out from the mis- 
tress if she wishes the meal hastened or delayed 
beyond the appointed hour. 

After it has been announced she should imme- 
diately commence to fill the glasses, and be ready 
with tray in hand to serve whatever is prepared. 
3 



50 FROM ATTIC TO CELLAR : OR 

If oyster stew, the small oyster dishes should be 
used and must be warmed, and the waitress can 
herself serve from the side-table and place one on 
the plate before each person as they come to the 
table, serving the crackers from a cracker-plate, 
which should be placed on the tray with a table- 
spoon, if the crackers are small, and offered to 
each person at the left. 

To remove the oyster course, take in each hand 
a plate with the oyster-dish and spoon, and carry 
to the pantry. 

The meat or fish should then be placed on the 
tray cloth at the foot of the table, with the car- 
ver, fork and tablespoon at the right of it, and as 
it is served the waitress should herself lift the 
plate with her right hand, and place it on her 
tray, carry it to each person, the lady of the 
house first, or the guests if there are any, and 
place before each one, going to their right. 

If potatoes or a vegetable is to be served, it 
should be taken on a tray, with a spoon in the 
dish, and offered to each person from their left. 



HOUSEKEEPING MADE EASY. 5 I 

The bread should then be passed and glasses 
be filled, if needed. 

A waitress should keep strict watch that noth- 
ing is asked for that is on the table. 

In removing this course the carver, fork and 
knife should be placed on a tray used for this 
purpose, and carried first to the pantry, then the 
platter should be removed, then the vegetable 
dishes, and lastly each person's plate should be 
taken. The tray-cloth for platters should then 
be removed, the bread and butter plates and the 
salt and pepper. 

Remove the crumbs with a silver crumb knife 
and plate, or a napkin may be folded and used 
for that purpose. 

A dessert plate, with fork or spoon and finger 
bowl, should then be placed before each person, 
and whatever has been prepared should be passed, 
either cake or jelly, or a simple dessert dish or 
fruit. It should be offered at the left of each 
one. The dish may then be placed before the 
lady of the house and the cocoa pot brought in 



52 FROM ATTIC TO CELLAR I OR 

and served, the waitress placing the cup at the 
right of each person. 

As lunch ought to be an informal meal the 
maid is now at liberty to withdraw, after seeing 
that the glasses are filled, and, if more of the 
course is desired, the lady of the house serves it, 
and it is passed at the table. 

A waitress is expected to have a general care 
and oversight of the table linen and a systematic 
housekeeper will appreciate the advantage of hav- 
ing napkins numbered that are in general use. 

For a family of four, one dozen napkins is all 
that is required for ordinary purposes, when the 
the napkins are changed twice a week, although 
it is much more economical to have two dozen in 
use, as they will wear longer than if each dozen 
is used separately, because they need not be laun- 
dered as frequently. 

If more frequent change is made, or if the 
family is larger, a proportionately greater number 
will be required. 

The numbers from one to four are used the 



HOUSEKEEPING MADE EASY. 53 

early part of the week ; these aie changed in the 
middle of the week, and from five to eight are 
taken. While these are being laundered, from 
nine to twelve are in service, and after that from 
one to four of the second dozen, and so on. 

In this wcy with the two dozen it will be seen 
that each napkin is laundered once in three weeks. 

If they are not numbered and are placed in 
the drawer indiscriminately it would not be pos- 
sible to know just how often each one is in use, 
and consequently they would not wear evenly; 
some of the dozen would be threadbare while 
the others would still be new. 

It is an excellent plan to make some difference 
between those that are given to guests and those 
which are used ordinarily by the family — either 
in the marking or by the quality, otherwise the 
run of the numbers for daily service would be 
broken and lost if they were given to occasional 
guests. 



CHAPTER VII. 

HOW TO TRAIN A WAITRESS. 
DINNER. 

TT FEW cut flowers are often seen at the table, 
y -■> or a growing plant, in families where there 
is no pretence to elaborate sei-ving. It is a cus- 
tom which is growing daily, and betokens a re- 
finement independent of wealth or position. 

With care, cut flowers can be made to last sev- 
eral days. The waitress should remove them be- 
fore the table is cleared away, to a cool place, 
and should see that the water is changed daily. 

Dinner is the most ceremonious meal of the 

day, and more service is required of the maid 

than at breakfast and supper. She should see 

that the temperature of the room is right, and 

(54) 



HOUSEKEEPING MADE EASY. 55 

in winter should open the windows for a few min- 
utes to freshen the air, and remove, with a soft 
cloth, any dust that may have gathered since 
luncheon. 

When it is possible, a separate table-cloth 
should be kept for use at dinner, and, if slightly 
starched when laundered, it will retain its fresh- 
ness for a longer time. It should be placed 
smoothly on the table, over the Canton felting, 
and care should be taken that it is not in the least 
askew. 

If there are flowers place them on a centre- 
piece of linen in the middle of the table ; if a 
growing plant, it should be placed either in a 
flower-vase, large enough to accommodate the 
pot, or white tissue-paper can be wrapped about 
the pot to conceal it, or an ornamental cover 
made of tissue-paper can be slipped on over the 
pot. 

If candelabra are used, place one on either side 
of the flowers, about half-way between them and 
the end of the table. 

If candlesticks are used, four of them should 



56 FROM AlTiC TO CELLAR : OR 

be placed to form the corners of a square about 
the flowers, a Httle distance from them. 

There should be a carving-cloth at the head 
and one at the foot of the table. 

At the right of each person should be placed 
a soup-spoon, with the bowl turned up, a dinner- 
knife with the sharp edge turned toward the plate, 
a fish-knife, if fish is served, and a tumbler for 
water. 

At the left two forks are placed, the smaller 
one for fish, and a folded napkin within which is a 
small piece of bread or a dinner-roll. 

A dinner plate may also be placed on the table 
for each person, if preferred. This is often done, 
as handsome china adds greatly to the appearance, 
and presents a more pleasing variety than if mere- 
ly knives, forks, napkins and spoons are first seen. 

The dinner-plate can be exchanged by the 
waitress for the soup-plate, and removed to the 
side- table, or the soup-plate may be placed on 
the dinner-plate and removed together when 
the soup course is changed. 

If olives or salted almonds are to be served. 



HOUSEKEEPING MADE EASY. 57 

they should be placed in small fancy china 
or glass dishes, just beyond the candelabra or 
candlesticks. 

If carafes are used, place them at the four 
corners of the table, or at either end, if two are 
used. Place a salt-dish and pepper box for the 
use of every two persons at the table. 

On the side-table should be placed the plates 
that are used for the different courses, the table- 
spoons, sauce ladles, carvers and forks. 

On the sideboard extra glasses, knives, forks 
and spoons should be arranged ; also a tray con- 
taining the after-dinner cups and saucers, with a 
small spoon placed beside each one, a bonbon 
tray containing cut loaf sugar and tongs, and 
a small cream-pitcher. 

The dessert-plates are also arranged on the 
sideboard, with a small doily, and a finger-bowl, 
containing a little warm water, upon each one of 
them. 

The soup-tureen, fish and meat platter, vege- 
table dishes, gravy dishes and the plates must be 
placed where tTiey can be heated. 



58 FROM Arric to cellar : or 

When it is time for dinner the waitress should 
see that the chairs are placed, should light the 
candles, fill the carafes and tumblers, place the 
soup-tureen and warm soup-plates at the head of 
the table, with the soup-ladle at the right of the 
tureen, and announce, "The dinner is served." 

The soup-tureen should not be uncovered un- 
til all are seated. The waitress should then lay 
the cover on the side-table, and, standing at the 
left of the hostess, Hft each soup-plate as served, 
place it on her tray, and take it first to the person 
at the right of the hostess, and serve all on that 
side first ; then begin at the left of the hostess 
and serve all on that side. 

In removing the course, the tureen should be 
taken to the pantry first, then the soup-plates, one 
in each hand. 

The platter of fish, with the warmed fish-plates, 
should then be placed on the table, with the fish- 
knife laid at the right of the platter and the fish- 
fork at the left. This should be placed at the 
foot of the table to be served. If there is no 



HOUSEKEEPING MADE EASY. 59 

gentleman in the family, the person occupying 
that seat will serve it. 

The waitress should, with her right hand, place 
each plate, as it is served, on her tray, and carry 
it to the right of the person served, placing it be- 
fore them, commencing with the one sitting at 
the right of the server, and continuing on that 
side, then at the left of the server, and to all on 
that side. 

The sauce-dish, with ladle, should then be 
passed on the tray and offered at the left of each 
person. 

Small thin pieces of bread, or rolls, may then 
be passed. 

In removing the fish course, the fish platter 
should be taken first, then the sauce-dish, then 
the plates, one in each hand, until all are taken 
to the pantry. 

The meat should then be placed before the 
carver, together with the warmed plates, a carv- 
ing-knife and spoon at the right of the platter 
and the carving- fork at the left of it. The veg- 
etables should be placed on the side-table. 



6o FROM ATTIC TO CELLAR : OR 

While the meat is being carved, if there are al- 
monds and olives on the table they are placed on 
the tray and offered at the left of each person. 

The roast should then be served in the same 
manner as the fish, and if there is gravy it should 
be served the same as the fish-sauce. 

A spoon should be placed in the potato-dish, 
and the potatoes offered at the left of each 
person, the potato-dish to be returned to the 
side-table. 

Other vegetables to be served in the same way, 
and returned to the table. 

In removing this course, the carver, carving- 
fork and gravy-spoon should be placed on a waiter 
which has no napkin on it, and carried to the 
pantry ; then the platter with the meat should be 
taken, the gravy-dish with ladle, and the plates, 
one in each hand ; also the vegetable dishes re- 
moved from the side-table. 

Crumbs should then be brushed from the table- 
cloth by means of a silver crumb-knife and plate, 
or a fresh napkin, neatly folded, will answer the 
same purpose as the silver knife. 



HOUSEKEEPING MADE EASY. 6 1 

If a salad course is to be served, place the 
salad-bowl and salad-plate before the lady of the 
house. If it is lettuce, and the French dressing 
is to be prepared at the table, place the oil, vin- 
egar, mustard, salt and pepper, before her, to- 
gether with a mixing-spoon and fork. 

If the salad is already dressed, the salad-fork 
and spoon should be placed in the salad-bowl, 
and a clean knife and fork at each place — this 
must be done quickly and quietly. 

As the salad is served, it should be taken first 
to the person at the right of the server, and placed 
there, then to all on that side, and, after they are 
served, to those on the left side. 

If crackers and cheese are served with the sal- 
ad, they should then be offered on the tray to the 
left of each person. 

In removing the course the salad-bowl is taken, 
then the salad-plates, the oil, vinegar, pepper, 
salt-boxes, olives and almonds. 

Remove the crumbs again, then the carving- 
cloths, leaving npthing on the table except flow- 
ers or candles. 



62 FROM ATTIC TO CELLAR : OR 

A dessert-plate, with finger-bowl and dessert- 
fork, should then be placed before each person, 
and the dish containing the dessert before the 
lady of the house, together with knife, fork or 
spoon for serving. This should be taken in the 
same way, first to all those on the right side, and 
then on the left. 

To remove this course, take first the dessert 
and whatever was used for serving it, then the 
plates and finger-bowls. 

If coffee is to be served at the table, and not 
in the drawing room, the tray containing the ser- 
vice may be placed before the lady of the house, 
together with the coffee-pot or urn ; or it may be 
removed to the pantry, the waitress filling the 
cups about two-thirds full, and then placing one 
at the right of each person and offering cut loaf 
sugar and cream on a smaller tray at the left of 
each one. 

After the cofi'ee is served, the waitress should 
await the signal from her mistress to withdraw, 
previously noting if the carafes need to be replen- 
ished. 



HOUSEKEEPING MADE EASY. 63 

If carafes are not used, she must be carefully 
observant, throughout the meal, to replenish 
glasses immediately when needed. 

There should be no conversation with a wait- 
ress at the table, and one who is thoroughly well 
trained understands that she is to keep an obser- 
vant watch, that she may anticipate all wants 
without the necessity of making them known. 

A waitress should not commence to remove a 
course until every person at the table has finished 
with it. 

The directions for serving are generally not 
arbitrary rules, because customs often vary with 
locahty, and in many cases individual character- 
istics are as marked in table serving and table 
adornments as in the furnishing of the rooms. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

HOW TO TRAIN A WAITRESS. 
CHAMBER WORK AND FRONT DOOR SERVICE. 

THE duties of a waitress or second girl are by 
no means confined to table serving and the 
dining-room. 

In a small family where a cook and waitress 
are employed, it is usually expected that they per- 
form the entire work of the household without 
assistance of the mistress, beyond a general su- 
perintendence. Just how this work shall be divid- 
ed is a point which must be settled by circum- 
stances and the individual needs of the family. 

In no two households, perhaps, is there a like 
distribution, but there are certain general duties 
which are incumbent upon a waitress, wherever 
(64) 



HOUSEKEEPING MADE EASY. 65 

one is employed, and, among these, chamber ser- 
vice is by no means the least important. 

The maid, after having served the meat course 
at breakfast, should be given to understand that 
she is at liberty to leave the dining-room, and 
this will be her opportunity for going through each 
bed-room, removing the slops, washing and wip- 
ing the different articles of the toilet set belonging 
to the washstands, refilling pitchers, removing 
soiled towels and replacingthem with fresh ones. 

It is presumed that the occupants of bedrooms 
will have taken the clothing from the beds, and 
placed it to air near an open window, if the day 
is pleasant, before leaving their rooms. 

There can hardly be too much air and sunshine 
in bedrooms when the beds are not occupied. 

They should be stripped of their clothing in 
the morning, the mattress thrown across the foot 
of the bed, that the air may circulate freely 
through the under side, and so left until thorough- 
ly aired. It is not the best housekeepers who 
have their beds made as soon as the sleepers are 
out of them. 



66 FROM ATTIC TO CELLAR : OR 

Night dresses should be as thoroughly aired 
as the bed clothing, and through the day should 
be hung up in a closet or elsewhere, and not fold- 
ed up and placed under the pillows. 

Particular attention should be given to the 
toothbrush-holder and mug, and the attention of 
the maid should be called to the necessity of 
emptying out all the water that is left in the pitch- 
ers before filling them afresh. Unless this is spo- 
ken of, there are few maids who will take the 
trouble to do so. Water which stands in a bed- 
room absorbs impurities. 

Many housekeepers require that the water that 
has stood in the pitchers during the day shall be 
replaced with fresh water just before retiring. 

A heavy china or crockery slop-jar is far pref- 
erable to a tin one. 

They should be thoroughly scalded and dried 
each morning, and once or twice a week hot 
water that has a teaspoonful of soda dissolved in 
it should stand in the pails for an hour. 

Each bed should be allowed to air for at least 



HOUSEKEEPING MADE EASV. 67 

one hour, and during that time the bed-rooms 
may be dusted, threads and lint removed from 
the carpet, and the room made tidy. 

If the mattress is made in two pieces it can 
be easily turned, and should be daily. Once a 
week it ought to be brushed thoroughly on both 
sides with a whisk broom, in order to prevent 
dust from accumulating in the tackings. 

As often as once a week pillows and blankets 
should be placed on the clothes-line and allowed 
to remain an hour or two in the fresh air ; the pil- 
lows must be kept out of the sun. This should 
be done in the morning when the sun is shining 
brightly, which will prevent their gathering damp- 
ness. 

In making a bed, care should be taken that 
the under sheet is placed smoothly over the mat- 
tress and tucked firmly under it on all sides : that 
the open end of the blankets should be placed 
at the head of the bed, and, if two people are to 
occupy a bed, place one pair of blankets side- 
wise and one pair lengthwise of the bed. 



68 FROM ATTIC TO CELLAR : OR 

Definite instructions should be given a new 
maid as to just how to arrange a room and bed 
for the day and night. 

If there are guests in the house, the work in 
the guest-chamber should be attended to first. 

Just before retiring at night, the maid should 
be instructed to go through the different bedrooms 
removing shams and spreads, folding the latter 
carefully. She should turn down the upper sheet 
and clothing, placing the pillows in position for 
use ; should lay the nightdress on the bed, and 
arrange an extra covering at the foot of the bed 
in such a way that it may be conveniently at hand, 
if needed, during the night. All waste water 
should be removed, and fresh drinking water 
brought. A glass water-botde or carafe, with 
tumbler fitting over the neck, is of great service 
in a chamber or sick room. 

If there are guests in the house the maid 
should knock at their door with a pitcher of hot 
water early enough in the morning to allow them 
sufficient time for dressing. 



HOUSEKEEPING MADE EASY. 69 
THE FRONT DOOR. 

Some one has said that the manner and appear- 
ance of a maid at the front door in answer to 
the bell is the key-note of the establishment. It 
cannot be denied that it is important, and special 
instruction upon this point should be given. 

A fresh white apron should be placed conven- 
iently near during the hours of morning work 
where it can be put on at a moment's notice if 
the bell rings, the same apron to be used for 
serving at the table. 

The ring should always be answered as promptly 
as possible, and the door opened sufficiently to 
suggest a welcome, the maid to be plainly visi- 
ble, and under no circumstances to remain par- 
tially concealed behind the door, with head 
appearing from the side, or arm thrust out to re- 
ceive a card. 

A maid should understand that a certain 
amount ot care and civility is expected of her 
in this service, and a mistress should be as ex- 



70 FROM ATTIC TO CELLAR : OR 

plicit as possible in regard to instruction, as it 
is the one thing that she cannot personally su- 
perintend. 

A small tray for receiving cards and notes 
should be provided to be placed conveniently 
near the door, so that in passing the waitress 
may take it in her hand and hold it by her side, 
partially concealed among the folds of her dress. 
In case the visitor gives her name instead of her 
card, care should be taken that the tray is not 
visible, in order that she may not feel she has 
neglected a courtesy expected of her. On the 
other hand, it is a pleasure to find a maid pre- 
pared to receive a card as soon as it is presented, 
without the delay of reaching for the tray, how- 
ever near at hand it may be. 

If a mistress is indisposed or has any engage- 
ment which will prevent her from receiving calls 
the maid should be instructed to that effect, be- 
fore going to the door. 

A conscientious mistress will not instruct a 
maid to say "not at home" when she is in the 



HOUSEKEEPING MADE EASY. 7 1 

house, because, although the phrase may be for 
her sufficiently conventional to reconcile her to 
its use, it may not be for the maid. 

If it simply means that one is engaged, or not 
receiving, why not say so ? It is as good form 
as the other phrase, and is a much more honest 
and safe one to use. 

While a certain graciousness of manner is pleas- 
ant from the maid, care should be taken that she 
is not too friendly with callers, or does not vol- 
unteer unnecessary information. 

In showing a guest out, the waitress should 
open the door wide, holding it so until the guest 
has descended the steps, or perhaps has gained 
the street, if it is a short walk. She should then 
close it so softly that it may not be heard. 

Caution should be given the waitress in re- 
gard to admitting agents into the house. Many, 
claiming to be such, simply take that means for 
gaining access, and often, cases of theft have 
been the result of carelessness of the maid in 
admitting them. 



CHAPTER IX. 

THE RANGE AND FUEL. 

'PJ EARLY all rented houses in cities are supplied 
^^ with either a set range or a portable one. 
It should be ascertained if it is in good condition 
before taking possession, as much of the comfort 
of the family will depend upon whether the food 
is well cooked. 

If you must supply a range or stove inform 
yourself in regard to the different makes in the 
market, and select the best one you can find, 
with a plain finish that may be easily kept clean. 

Be sure that the dampers and doors will shut 
closely, as this is necessary for controlling the 
heat. 

Ranges are more generally used than stoves, 
(72) 



HOUSEKEEPING MADE EASY. 73 

for the reason that they can be set nearer to the 
wall and will take up less room in the kitchen. 
The difference is that stoves have doors on both 
sides of the oven instead of one side. 

A housekeeper should understand thoroughly 
the mechanism of her stove, how to make and 
keep a fire, how to regulate it, and to learn the 
hottest and coolest places in the oven. She should 
make sure that her servant understands also, and 
should personally superintend the cooking until 
satisfied on these points. 

Whatever is placed in the oven will need a 
certain amount of watching, at first, to see if it 
is baking too fast or too slowly. If too fast, and 
the dampers are closed, a cover may be lifted 
from the top of the stove for a minute or two, or 
a piece of stiff brown paper placed to screen 
whatever is baking from the direct heat. Or a 
pan of water placed in the oven will often cool it. 

When the oven is not hot enough the ashes 
should be raked from the grate, and the dampers 
opened in order to have a direct draught. 
4 



74 FROM ATTIC TO CELLAR: OR 

When the fire is not needed for cooking or 
other purposes, the draughts should be closed, 
that the fuel may not be wasted, and this is a 
point that it^ is almost impossible to carry out 
with the average maid, and it will require much 
firmness and patience in the mistress. 

When making a fire the covers should be taken 
off and the soot first brushed oft from the top of 
the oven into the grate. This should be done 
every morning and not occasionally as is often 
the case. 

Turn the grate over until free from cinders and 
ashes, remove these to a coal-sifter placed over 
an iron ash barrel, and place the cinders when 
sifted in a receptacle kept for that purpose — they 
can be frequently used on a furnace fire, and oc- 
casionally will answer for the range. 

A loose roll of paper is first placed on the grate, 
and on this some, small pine kindlings crossed 
over each other that the air may circulate freely 
through them. Care must be taken that the 
wood comes out to each end of the fire box. 



HOUSEKEEPING MADE EASY. 75 

Over this it is a good idea to cross two sticks 
of hard wood if you have it, as that will burn 
longer than the soft wood and assist the coal to 
catch. 

If kindling wood alone is used it will be nec- 
essary to use more wood than if the hard wood 
is put with it. 

The stove should be blacked before the fire is 
lighted — this can be done with a good stove pol- 
ish dissolved in a little water, and applied with a 
painter's brush, to be rubbed in and polished af- 
terwards with a dry stove brush. The blacking 
should be thoroughly rubbed in at this time or 
it will come off whenever the stove is brushed 
afterwards, and if the fire is started, after it is 
rubbed in, it will polish more easily. 

Many good housekeepers are discarding stove 
polish, and in its stead are using olive oil which 
is rubbed into the stove every morning when it 
is cold. 

In this way the stove is kept black, and al- 
though its surface is not polished, it is cleaner 



76 FROM ATTIC TO CELLAR I OR 

than it is if the lead is used and whatever is spilled 
on it, can be easily removed with soap and wa- 
ter. 

After the process of cleaning the stove is fin- 
ished, open the dampers and light the paper. 
When the wood is burning freely, put the coal 
in, taking care that it does not come above the 
point where a supply of air can penetrate through 
the fuel. 

Most servants are especially obtuse on this 
point, and insist upon filling the stove even to 
the covers. By so doing almost twice the amount 
of coal necessary to produce the same amount 
of heat is used. 

After the fire is made, only a small quantity of 
coal should be fed at a time, and this should be 
distributed evenly over the surface — as a large 
amount will lower the temperature so that it will 
not be available for use until all the fresh coal 
has become ignited. 

If the top of the oven and the grate at the bot- 
tom is kept free from ashes, much less fuel will 



HOUSEKEEPING MADE EASY. 77 

be needed. Oxygen is as necessary as fuel in 
keeping a fire, and anything that prevents free 
access of oxygen through the fuel, prevents per- 
fect combustion. 

Fuel is an important item in household ex- 
penses, and it .is often surprising to find how little 
some housekeepers know about the respective 
qualities of red ash and white ash coal. 

In many country towns, wood is burned almost 
entirely, and housekeepers who are accustomed 
to its use prefer it to coal, as it is cleaner, and 
more easily managed — but it is much more ex- 
pensive than coal. 

In many of the smaller cities and larger towns 
white ash coal is, frequently, the only variety that 
can be obtained. For range use, however, a 
good red ash coal gives out more heat, and is 
more economical than any other variety. 

The cook does not like it as well, especially if 
she is not an early riser, because it does not burn 
up as rapidly as white ash, and cannot be started 
as quickly, but when it is thoroughly ignited, its 
lasting powers are surprising. 



78 FROM ATTIC TO CELLAR : OR 

Another variety of coal called the "Franklin" 
is a softer coal, and burns more freely even than 
the white ash. A fire can be started very quickly 
with this coal, and it is to be recommended in 
cases when the chimney does not draw well. 

It is necessary, however, to keep constant 
watch of the dampers in the stove or range, if 
the winter's supply of coal is expected to last as 
long as it should. 

Perhaps the cheapest fuel that can be used for 
cooking is kerosene oil, and the stoves for burn- 
ing the oil have been so perfected that the entire 
cooking for a family may be performed on them 
— but they require even more care to perform 
satisfactory work than the ordinary range. 

Unless they are properly cleaned the odor 
from them is very objectionable. The netting 
and open space under the burners should be 
kept open and free from soot, and the burners 
should be frequently cleaned and scoured with 
sapolio, or kitchen mineral soap and water. 

There should be no brown deposit allowed to 
remain on them — whatever can not be scoured 



HOUSEKEEPING MADE EASY. 79 

off, should be scraped off with a knife, and the 
charred part of the wick rubbed off. 

When the stove is not in use, the wicks should 
be turned down, and the oil wiped from the burn- 
ers. This is an important point, because if al- 
lowed to accumulate, it will harden on the burner 
and be difficult to remove, and the odor from it 
will be worse every time it is used. 



CHAPTER X. 



WASHING. 



AT ON DAY has been selected as a general 
-*■ ^ washing clay by housekeepers all over the 
land j but it is open to objection, since it involves 
much preparation, and labor of assorting and 
soaking the clothes either Saturday or Sunday 
evening. 

If Sunday evening is taken for this purpose 
it is an infringement of the day that few consci- 
entious people care to make. If Saturday, the 
table linen must be changed that day in order 
that it may be looked over with a view to remov- 
ing stains or darning rents, and we lose the fresh 
look that is to be desired for our Sunday meals. 

The change of undergarments is also necessi- 
(80) 



HOUSEKEEPING MADE EASV. 8 1 

tated, and if these need to be mended before 
they are washed, Saturday is not ahvays the best 
day for that purpose, as with many of us it is a 
busy day, and with others partakes more of the 
nature of a holiday, than perhaps any other week 
day. In very warm weather it is not quite safe to 
leave clothes soaking in water from Saturday night 
until Monday morning. Tuesday as a washing 
day is not open to the same objections, as it gives 
ample time on Monday for the sorting and darn- 
ing process, although in case the weather is not 
propitious for a good "drying day," the ironing is 
delayed until the latter part of the week, and the 
system of work disarranged. Every housewife 
must settle for herself which is the lesser of the 
two evils. 

It is always a matter of regret when the kitchen 
must be used for a laundry, as the effluvia which 
rises from the washing of soiled clothes is an 
objectionable thing in a cooking room. 

To insure satisfactory work, good water and 
good soap are necessities. If the water is hard 



62 FROM AITIC TO CELLAR : OR 

it should be softened by the use of ammonia or 
borax. 

In purchasing soap for laundry use, the wisest 
plan is to get a box at a time. It is cheaper and 
the soap spends better if put away to dry before 
using. 

Stains and grease spots should be removed 
from all articles before they are washed. 

Ink spots may be removed from cotton or lin- 
en goods with tartaric acid ; wet the article and 
drop the acid on the spot, letting it remain in 
strong sunlight for a time, then wash it out in 
cold water. 

To remove grass stains, rub them thoroughly 
with molasses, and then rinse in clear water, and 
repeat the process till the stain disappears, or wet 
the stain and rub it freely with soap and baking 
soda and let .it lie a short time before washing. 

Fruit stains can usually be removed by pouring 
boiling rain water tlirough them and repeating 
the process several times if they are obstinate. 
Be sure that soap or soap suds is not used on them. 



HOUSEKEEPING MADE EASY. 8^ 

Pear stains are more difficult to remove than those 
made by grapes or berries. Powdered starch is 
sometimes sprinkled over the stains, and the boil- 
ing water poured on it. Tea and coffee stains 
may be removed by means of hot water to which 
a little borax has been added. 

Fresh paint can be removed with turpentine. 

To remove mildew from cotton or linen, wet 
the fabric in soap suds and spread it on a dish, 
or on the grass in the sun. Then take equal 
quantities of pulverized chalk and soft soap and 
spread this over the mildew. The sun, if it is a 
hot day, will usually remove it. If it does not do 
so readily, put the cloth in soap suds over night, 
and repeat the chalk and soap every morning, 
until the mildew is gone. Another way is to 
soak the spots in buttermilk and spread on the 
grass in a strong sunshine. 

Wheel grease on wash dresses can be removed 
by wetting it first with kerosene, and then wash- 
ing it with soap and warm water. 

Blood stains should be soaked and washed in 



84 FROM ATTIC TO CELLAR : OR 

clear cold water first, then soaped freely and al- 
lowed to soak again over night. 

After all spots have been removed, all the finer 
articles should be sorted out for the washing first, 
and should be placed by themselves in a tub of 
lukewarm water with a little soap. Add some 
powdered borax or a little ammonia if the water 
is not soft. 

Place the coarse clothes in another tub and 
rub the soiled parts well with soap. A little pow- 
dered borax or ammonia should be added to 
this water also. 

Soak them over night, and the next morning 
pass them through a wringer into another tub of 
hot suds. Rub them thoroughly on a zinc-faced 
washing board which is less liable to wear the 
clothes than a wooden one, and then put them 
into a boiler of cold water containing a small 
piece of soap. Let them boil three or four min- 
utes after they reach the boiling point, and then 
drain them into a tub of cold water, and wring 
them from this into a tub of lukewarm water to 
which has been added a little bluing. 



HOUSEKEEPING MADE EASY. 85 

After wringing from this water, separate what 
ever can be starched before it is dried, from the 
rest of the clothes, which may be hung out to 
dry immediately. 

Spread a clean cloth in your clothes basket be- 
fore putting in the clothes that are to be hung 
out. 

A galvanized wire clothes line is better than 
rope, as it need not be taken down and is always 
ready for use, and a clothes pin apron for hold- 
ing the clothes pins is much more convenient 
than a basket as it admits a free use of the hands. 

This is made from a piece of bed-ticking for 
the foundation 21 inches wide and 14 inches 
deep, or of any material that is strong. Over 
this place another piece of the material of the 
size as the first, cutting off the corners of the up- 
per part of this second piece to form the open- 
ings in the pocket for taking out the clothes pins. 

Bind around the edges with braid, gather the 
fullness at the top and sew to a binding. Tack 
tapes to either end for tying about the waist 
and for hanging it up by when not in use. 



86 FROM ATTIC TO CELLAR: OR 

If your wash day happens to be rainy, and 
you do not care to postpone, all the white clothes 
except the flannels may be washed, and left to 
soak in the rinsing water. 

Wring them out the next day, pass them 
through the bluing water, and hang them out. 
They will often look whiter for the delay. 

To wash flannels, do not put them into water 
more than blood warm, and never boil them. 
Sufficient ammonia to make the water feel slippery 
is of great advantage in washing white flannels, 
and will be of assistance in making a strong suds. 
Flannels must not be put to soak, and the soap 
must not be rubbed on them. 

Knead them in the water something as you 
knead bread, pressing the dirt out of them as 
much as possible. 

If they are much soiled, prepare a second wa- 
ter in the same way with ammonia and make a 
strong suds. 

Rinse them quickly in two waters, wring them 
as dry as possible through the wringer, shake out 
well and hang up immediately, for if they are 



HOUSEKEEPING MADE EASY. 87 

allowed to remain for a long time in the clothes 
basket they will shrink. 

Flannels ought to be washed early in the day 
in warm weather, and should be dried thoroughly, 
as quickly as possible. In winter a clear bright 
day is of great advantage, and the middle of the 
day is the best time for putting them out. 

To wash colored flannels stir three scant table- 
spoonfuls of flour into a quart of cold water, and 
let it boil eight minutes, add this to some clear 
warm suds, and wash by kneading and pressing 
them in this. Rinse in three waters, warm wa- 
ter, but not hot. 

It is well to have flannels brought in and 
pressed the same day. 

Do not fold them over night. If not conven- 
ient to iron the same day, hang smoothly on an 
inside line or clothes bar, and iron early the next 
day. 

Fine all wool goods are not easily kept from 
shrinking. Those that have a mixture of cotton 
are more easily managed. Ammonia should 



8S FROM ATTIC TO CELLAR : OR 

never be used with colored flannels, as it tends 
to make the colors dull. 

Silk underwear should be washed quickly, with 
white Castile soap, in warm water, softened either 
with ammonia or borax. They should be thor- 
oughly rinsed in three waters, wrung as dry as 
possible, and pressed out before thoroughly dry. 

For washing colored woolen dress goods use 
soap bark instead of soap. It can be purchased 
at any druggist's. It does the work well, and gives 
a little body to the material such as new goods 
have. 

Soak about ten cents' worth in a pail of warm 
water over night, then add two-thirds of it to 
the water in which the goods are to be washed. 
Wash thoroughly and rinse in warm water, adding 
the remaining solution of soap bark. Dry rap- 
idly in the open sunshine, and when nearly dry, 
iron on the wrong side. 

Blankets that are in constant use should be 
washed once a year. If they are to be packed 
away during the summer, they should be washed 
on a clear sunshiny spring day. 



HOUSEKEEPING MADE EASY. 89 

For light summer blankets that are to be 
packed away during the winter, a clear bright 
day in the fall should be chosen. 

Not more than two pair of double blankets 
can be washed satisfactorily at a time and three 
tubs will be needed for this purpose. 

The water should be warm, and sufficient am- 
monia should be added to make it feel soft and 
slippery in the hands. 

Dissolve in this some shavings of hard white 
soap until a good suds is formed. Into this place 
the blankets. Knead them in the water as you 
do flannels, pressing the water out of them as 
much as possible, lifting them up and dow^n and 
squeezing them in the suds. 

Wring them into another tub of water of the 
same temperature, which has also been made 
slippery with ammonia, — continue the same pro- 
cess in this tub without the soap, and wring them 
into a third tub of clear water without ammonia, 
though of the same temperature as the other two. 

When wrung from this tub it will require two 
persons to adjust and hang them on the line. 



90 FROM ATTIC TO CELLAR : OR 

The corners should be taken in the hands one 
person to stand at one end, and the other oppo- 
site, as far apart from each other as the entire 
length of the double blanket, which should then 
be snapped up and down for two or three min- 
utes in the open air, in order to raise the nap of 
the wool and render it soft and light. 

They should then be stretched evenly over the 
lines, and pulled into shape that they may dry 
in straight lines. Blankets washed in this way 
will not full and will look almost as well as when 
they are new. 

White lace curtains and those of thin material 
should be washed in soft water in which Castile 
soap has been dissolved. If the water is hard 
add a little ammonia, not quite as much as for 
blankets and wash them the same as blankets. 

Choose a warm sunny day in the spring for 
this purpose, and if you have a nicely-kept and 
well- cut lawn, place the two curtains belonging to 
the same window together, and stretch on the 
lawn, pinning them into shape with hairpins stuck 
through them into the ground. 



HOUSEKEEPING MADE EASY. 9 1 

If you have no lawn, place a sheet on the floor 
of a room, stretch and pin the two curtains to 
shape over this, and open all the windows wide 
that they may dry quickly. 

There are many houskeepers who claim to 
make lighter work of the family washing than by 
following the directions that have been given. 

This is done by means of washing machines* 
some of which are excellent. Many use a wash- 
ing fluid which is added to a boiler of clothes in 
the proportion of one tea cup full of the fluid to 
the water, which must be cold. Soap is added to 
this, and the clothes are then put in dry and are 
taken out just when they come to a boiling point. 
They are then rubbed through one water, rinsed 
and placed into the bluing water. 

Those who follow this process claim that the 
fluid saves much of the work of rubbing which 
is the most tiresome part. 

It would be an easy matter for one to try this 
method and decide for herself if it is more sat- 
isfactory. Conservative housekeepers claim that 



92 FROM ATTIC TO CELLAR. 

the fluid injures the clothes more than vigorous 
rubbing. 

The following is an excellent rule for making 
the 

WASHING FLUID. 

One pound sal soda, one half-pound unslack- 
ened lime, a piece of borax the size of an egg, 
add one gallon of water, and let it come to a 
boil. Remove from the fire and after it has set- 
tled, pour off the clear liquid into a jug or bottles. 



CHAPTER XI. 

STARCHING, SPRINKLING AND FOLDING. 

THE best quality of starch should be used for 
all clothes. Flour starch which is some- 
times used for coarse goods is liable to give a 
yellow hue which it is difficult to wash out. 

Clothes which are first dried, will take the 
starch better, than if placed into it when wet, but 
this is a longer process and involves more work 
and is only necessary for shirt bosoms, cuffs and 
collars which require to be very stiff. 

A housekeeper should have a rule for the mik- 
ing of her starch, and should follow it exactly. 
Almost every laundress has a way of her own for 
making clear boiled starch, and her own opinion 
as to what will make it iron without sticking. 

An excellent rule is to dissolve in a saucepan 

(93) 



94 FROM ATTIC TO CELLAR : OR 

two tablespoon fuls of starch in a little cold water 
until it is free from lumps. Upon this pour grad- 
ually one quart of boiling water, stirring well all 
the time until the opaque white of the mixture 
becomes semi-transparent, and the starch is of a 
jelly-like subtance. 

Let this boil for about five minutes, stirring it 
during that time. Then stir into this one tea- 
spoonful of kerosene oil, or a tablespoonful of 
gum arable water made by dissolving two ounces 
of pulverized gum arable in a pint of boiling wa- 
ter — straining this through a piece of cheese 
cloth, and bottling it while warm. The gum ara- 
ble water should be closely corked to prevent it 
from souring. 

The kerosene oil is a simple and inexpensive 
addition, which will insure a good finish and pre- 
vent it from sticking — but the gum arable will 
give a higher polish. 

If a plain dead finish is desired neither kero- 
sene or gum arable should be used — in place of 
this half a teaspoonful of borax may be added. 



HOUSEKEEPING MADE EASY. 95 

Shirt bosoms, cuffs and collars, should be thor- 
oughly dried and then coated on both sides with 
the starch, which must be well rubbed in, and 
clapped between the hands, that every fibre may 
be saturated. 

Wring until nearly dry, and hang where it will 
be free fi-om dust, and in cold weather where it 
will not ft-eeze. When dry, a second starching 
with cold starch is necessary to attain the desired 
stiffness. 

This is made by dissolving in a cupful of luke- 
warm water, a teaspoonful of starch — keep the 
starch well stirred up, and dip the articles into 
this, put the starched parts together and roll them 
up in a towel. 

Boiled starch may be thinned with hot water 
for those articles which require but little stiffen- 
ing. 

When the clothes are ready to be taken from 
the line, fold them smoothly, that no unnecessary 
creases are made and do not crowd them into the 
basket. 



g6 FROM ATTIC TO CELLAR : OR 

When ready to be sprinkled, they should be 
turned right side out, and if they are to be ironed 
the same day, lukewarm water should be used, 
but if they can lay over night, cold water will an- 
swer as well. They will usually iron better if left 
over night. 

After they are dampened fold each garment 
smoothly, turning all hems and selvages towards 
the centre, and roll them very tightly to remove 
the heavy creases that the wringer is apt to leave. 

Starched clothes should be sprinkled but a 
short time before ironing — as they dry quickly. 
Shirts and collars need not lie more than an hour. 
Place them in the clothes basket with a clean 
cloth under them, and spread a thick blanket over 
the top of it, and tuck it in at the sides that the 
air may not dry them. 

And just here I would say to those overworked 
and tired housekeepers, who for economy must 
do their work without assistance, that it would be 
more profitable for them to fold as smoothly as 
possible without ironing, their sheets, rollers and 



HOUSEKEEPING MADE EASY. 97 

dish towels, work aprons, and the night dresses 
and night shirts in common wear. Stockings, un- 
dervests and drawers can be pulled into shape 
and look as well as if they were ironed, and both 
woollen and cotton woven underwear have a more 
delicate odor if left rough dry. 

The time that is saved in this way on ironing 
days, may be much more profitably spent in read- 
ing, rest or recreation. 

It is wisdom to know just what can be slighted 
without detriment to the home. 
5 



CHAPTER XII. 

IRONING. 

PERHAPS there is no household duty which 
gives more satisfaction to a housewife than 
the sight of a clothes frame of well ironed clothes. 

To insure this it is necessary that the flat irons 
be perfectly clean and smooth, and that there be 
sand paper, heavy wrapping paper, cloths, a case 
knife and a bit of wax encased in a piece of cloth, 
near at hand for keeping them so during the proc- 
ess. 

Neglect and carelessness will render flat irons 
unfit for use in a short time, while those which 
are well kept will be equally serviceable after 
years of constant use. 

They should be washed once a month in soap 
suds with a little ammonia, wiped, and placed on 
(98) 



HOUSEKEEPING MADE EASY. 99 

the back of the stove to be thoroughly dried. 
They should be washed oftener, if the family is 
large and there are many starched clothes to be 
done up every week. Keep them when not in 
use in a closed dry place — as they gather dust if 
kept on a shelf or mantel. 

See that the top of the range is perfectly clean 
before putting on the irons. With many ranges 
there is a piece made to set on the top of the 
stove to accommodate the irons, the covers 
and centrepiece of the stove to be removed. This 
piece is made thin, that the irons may heat more 
quickly and with less fuel. When this is not to 
be obtained a long griddle made for frying cakes 
that will fit in the same way, answers the purpose. 

Ironing holders should be made sufficiently 
large to protect the hands well, of some heavy 
cotton material with an interlining which is pli- 
able. 

The irons which come in sets of three, with an 
adjustable handle, do not need the holders, and 
are generally liked by housekeepers. 

If possible do not allow your irons to become 



lOO FROM ATTIC TO CELLAR : OR 

too hot — if it should happen, cool them by set- 
ting on end on the hearth, and never plunge 
them into cold water, as that will harm the tem- 
per of the iron. They should not be kept on 
the stove when not in use. If starch sticks to 
the iron always scrape it off with a knife before 
placing it on the stove to heat. The ironing 
cloth may be made of heavy felt that comes for 
the purpose, and should be large enough to cover 
the table, and pin around each corner, that it 
may remain smooth and immovable during the 
ironing — over this should be placed the ironing 
sheet which should also be pinned at the corners. 
There should be three of these sheets kept ready 
for use, changed and laundered as often as nec- 
essary. 

Skirt boards are now made with standards that 
can be adjusted to any height, a great improve- 
ment over the old method of placing them on 
chairs. One of them will be necessary for laun- 
dry work, also a bosom board ; these to be cov- 
ered -with the ironing felt and with cotton, which 



HOUSEKEEPING MADE EASY. lOI 

should be lightly tacked on the under side that 
it may be easily removed. 

The clothes should be ironed until dry. If 
they are left wet, they will wrinkle as they dry, 
and much of the smooth, glossy effect will be lost. 

Napkins and table cloths will look better if 
there is a faint trace of starch in them—they need 
to be thoroughly ironed in every part — to be 
folded evenly, avoiding in the table cloths as 
many creases as possible. The ironing of the 
table linen deserves especial care and attention 
to render it smooth and glossy, and will amply 
repay one for the labor expended on it. 

To iron sheets,double them smoothly both ways 
being careful to bring the edges close together, 
and iron one side thoroughly — turn and fold 
again on the other side, ironing both sides. 

Ginghams and prints are better ironed on the 
wrong side. 

For shirts, iron all the body first before the 
starched parts. For the bosom, wring a cloth 
out of cold water, and rub carefully the starched 



I02 FROM ATTIC TO CELLAR. 

surface as you iron it to remove the particles of 
starch, which would otherwise adhere to the iron. 

Use a moderately hot iron, and pass it care- 
fully and slowly over the surface at first, then 
slightly moisten the surface again with your wet 
cloth, and rub hard and quickly, to give a gloss. 

Cuffs and collars are first ironed on the wrong 
side, and then finished on the right — the same 
caution for removing the particles of starch with 
a wet cloth should be observed. A good gloss can 
only be given by using strength, aided by the 
small polishing iron which comes for the purpose. 

But with the utmost care and attention, it is 
not possible to make them look as they do at a 
regular laundry, and many prefer to send them 
there, and save the time and strength expended 
upon them for other parts of the work. 

All ironed clothes should be hung on a clothes- 
frame until thoroughly dry — a matter to which 
it would be well if housewives gave more atten- 
tion. It is of great assistance if the clothes which 
need mending are, when ironed, placed on a sep- 
arate bar. 



CHAPTER XIII. 

SWEEPING AND DUSTING. 

IT would seem that everybody who is old enough 
to be a housekeeper ought to know how to 
sweep and dust a room satisfactorily but there 
are many women who, not having had the prac- 
tical experience on this point necessary to insure 
good results, are not in a position to insist upon 
thorough work in this direction from the maid. 

The preparation of the room and the arrange- 
ment of the furniture and other articles after it 
has been cleaned are more work than the mere 
sweeping and dusting. 

Bric-a-brac and fancy articles should be dusted 
or wiped carefully and removed to another room. 
Soft cheese cloth, or a silk handkerchief makes 
an excellent dust cloth. 

Pieces of furniture and chairs which are easily 

(103) 



104 FROM ATTIC TO CELLAR : OR 

moved should be dusted and placed in an adjoin- 
ing room. 

Stuffed furniture should be beaten when it is 
possible with a rattan beater, the dust from the 
folds and tuftings removed with a pointed brush, 
that comes for the purpose, resembling a painter's 
brush, and the surface then carefully brushed 
with a hand broom. Large pieces of furniture 
that can not be removed should be carefully and 
closely covered with dusting sheets. 

In sweeping bed rooms, the bed should first 
be dusted, then made and covered over with a 
large sweeping cloth. 

Rugs should be swept and placed over the 
clothes lines out doors for the air to freshen. 

Portieres should be unhooked from the rings, 
brushed and shaken out doors. 

Muslin or lace draperies at the windows should 
be lifted and removed with the pole from the 
supporting brackets, and the dust brushed or 
shaken from them. 

The windows should be opened and the blinds 



HOUSEKEEPING MADE EASY. 105 

dusted. If the windows need washing this should 
not be done until after the sweeping, when the 
paint is wiped. 

Cover the broom with a soft cloth, and brush 
the walls, cornice, ceilings, tops of doors and 
windows, or use a long feather duster for the 
purpose. 

Dust the pictures and cover them over with 
cloths. 

A Brussels or nap carpet should be swept with 
short, light, even strokes, with the grain for the 
first stroke, then across it for the next, and so 
on over the carpet, brushing around the edges 
and in the corners with a whisk broom. To 
sweep a room without raising a dust, scatter 
dampened bits of paper over the carpet. 

After sweeping the room, the dust should be 
allowed to settle for five or ten minutes, then 
dampen your broom and go over the carpet 
lightly, which will remove all the dust, after which 
it may be wiperl up with a damp cloth, which has 
been wrung out as dry as possible from water to 
which a few drops of ammonia have been added. 



I06 FROM ATTIC TO CELLAR I OR 

The closets should be swept, and the floor wiped 
with a wet cloth, and the door left open to air 
awhile every sweeping day. 

Before replacing the furniture, wipe off all fin- 
ger marks and spots from the woodwork, polish 
the mirrors, and if there is a fireplace the hearth 
should be washed up, the iron work rubbed off 
with a rag dampened slightly with kerosene, and 
the brasses polished, after which the dusting 
sheets may be removed, and the furniture re- 
placed. 

Such a sweeping should be a part of the regu- 
lar housework every week, for rooms that are car- 
peted and used constantly, in order to ensure 
health and cleanliness. 

It is better to set apart one day for a sweeping 
day, as for washing and ironing. 

It is a convenience to have a separate broom, 
brush broom and dust pan for upstairs work — 
and another set for the rooms downstairs. 

The broom used for the kitchen should be 
kept for that purpose, and not used on the car- 
pets, and a separate broom should be kept for 



HOUSEKEEPING MADE EASY. 10 7 

the cellar which needs to be swept and brushed 
down once a week. 

Halls and rooms that are not carpeted are bet- 
ter swept with a long handled brush broom that 
takes up the dirt and dust easily, and does not 
scratch the polished surface. Such rooms need 
to be swept once a day. 

It is an excellent plan to have two bags made 
of white cotton flannel for slipping over a broom. 
If, after sweeping, the pohshed or painted floor 
is brushed over with this, it will remove all dust ; 
the bags to be laundered alternately each week. 

For sweeping stairs that are carpeted, a stiff 
whisk broom is needed. The dirt should be 
swept from each step into the dust pan, and not 
from one step to the other. A painter's brush is 
excellent for sweeping the dirt from the corners. 

For furniture covers cheap unbleached cotton 
cloth is excellent — the seams can be stitched to- 
gether on the machine, and three breadths are 
needed for each cover. They should be from 
three to three and a half yards in length. Six of 
these are sufficient for the needs of a household. 



CHAPTER XIV. 

DISHWASHING. CARE OF THE SINK. 

TTLL dishes should be well scraped before they 
/ -■' are washed, and it is advisable to have a small 
wooden knife for this purpose. 

A dish mop is excellent for cups and the clean- 
est dishes, but there is nothing better than soft 
linen crash cut of convenient size, hemmed, and 
with a loop of tape tacked to it for hanging it up 
by. 

There should be six of these dishcloths, and 
a fresh one should be substituted every week and 
the one in use put into the weekly wash to be 
boiled and ironed. It is well to number these 
dish cloths, that they may be used in regular ro- 
tation. 

To those who have been in the habit of using 
(io8) 



HOUSEKEEPING MADE EASY. 109 

parts of worn articles of table linen or of cloth- 
ing for this purpose it will doubtless seem extrav- 
agant to purchase new material, but it will be 
found to do better work, and is more easily kept 
clean, which is a most important item from a san- 
itary point of view. 

A celebrated physician has said that a dish cloth 
left without washing, in a lump over night, will 
ferment and generate germs of disease for any 
one whose breathing apparatus is brought into 
direct contact with them. 

Ragged or linty dish cloths should not be used 
for the reason that lint will collect in the sink 
spout, and may cause a serious obstruction. 

Besides these Hnen cloths, a chain dish cloth 
for kettles, fry pans, etc., made of wire rings is of 
great assistance in removing whatever is burned 
on in cooking. 

For dish towels there is nothing better than 
the glass towelling of linen, barred with blue or 
red. It wears well, and leaves no lint on the 
dishes, and is quite as economical as the best 
■quality of crash. 



no FROM ATTIC TO CELLAR: OR 

Dish towels are too often made'of coarse harsh 
linen which when new will not wipe the dishes 
dry, and after it has become old, it is apt to re- 
tain a greasy smell. 

Do not use towels that are part cotton, for they 
will not do the work well. 

After every dish-washing the dish cloth and 
towels should be thoroughly washed and placed 
where they will dry quickly. A rod attached to 
the stove is used for the purpose. As often as 
the weather permits they should be dried out 
doors. In every household it ought to be a rule 
that the towels and dish cloths be put into the 
wash once a week, and a fresh supply used. 
Those that are washed should be inspected by 
the mistress, and not left in the kitchen. 

There should always be two pans for washing 
dishes, one to contain hot suds in which they are 
washed and the other clear hot dish water in which 
they are rinsed. There is a convenient little article 
for holding soap, made of open wires which per- 
mits the use of small pieces. This is placed in 
the hot water and shaken about, and will produce* 



HOUSEKEEPING MADE EASY. m 

suds quickly, especially if a few drops of house- 
hold ammonia have been added to the water. 

The water in the pan for washing dishes should 
be changed frequently. Do not allow it to de- 
posit a greasy rim around the pan above the edge 
of the water. 

A rack for draining dishes is a convenience ; 
this is made of open wires. 

If there is a buder's pantry, the china, silver 
and glass ware should be washed there. If there 
is no butler's pantry, and no room or convenience 
for washing them in the china closet, an ordinary 
table in the kitchen may be used for the purpose, 
placed as near the slide as possible. It lessens 
the tendency to accidents in dish breaking, not 
to have them carried to the kitchen sink. Boil- 
ing water should never be poured over fine china, 
as it is apt to injure the glaze and in course of 
time will show tiny lines of crackle over it. 

China and glass ware should not be washed in 
water that is too hot for the hands. 

The glasses should be washed first, then the 
silver, cups and saucers, and lastly the dishes. 



112 FROM ATTIC TO CELLAR : OR 

Do not allow too many to accumulate before 
wiping them. 

Do not place ivory or bone handled knives into 
the dish pan or the blades into a pitcher contain- 
ing hot water, as many do. The sudden expan- 
sion of the steel by the heat will often cause the 
handles to crack. Wash them thoroughly out of 
the water with the dish cloth, and wipe them dry. 

The more common dishes, and those used for 
cooking and the ironware and tinware are washed 
in the sink. 

Wash all the ironware outside as well as inside, 
in hot soapy water, rinse in clean hot water and 
wipe dry. 

Coarse soft linen towels are used for this pur- 
pose and for the common dishes. 

Greasy pans, and fry kettles, can be more eas- 
ily washed if a teaspoonful of soda is added to 
the water. 

Sapolio, and kitchen mineral soap will remove 
whatever has been burnt on in cooking. If you 
wash meat pans and greasy pots and kettles as 
soon as they are emptied, you will save yourself 



HOUSEKEEPING MADE EASY. II3 

much trouble. If you cannot wash them at once 
fill them with hot water. 

Always keep the inside of the coffee pot bright 
to insure good coifee. Boil it out occasionally 
with soap water and wood ashes and scour thor- 
oughly. 

Do not let a Dover egg beater soak in water 
when it has been used, because the oil will be 
taken out from the gears and the beater will be 
hard to turn. The wires should be wiped as soon 
as they are used, with a damp cloth, and it should 
be kept well oiled. 

Before putting the dish pans away, scald thor- 
oughly, making sure that no grease remains on 
them, and wipe until quite dry. 

A fine strainer pan is almost a necessity in a 
sink, and through it, all dish water, and liquid 
refuse ought to be poured, and the scraps and 
crumbs remaining in the strainer, can either be 
burned or placed in the refuse pail. 

When every precaution has been taken, not to 
allow anything but liquid to go into the sink drain 



114 FROM ATTIC TO CELLAR : OR 

there will be an amount of greasy matter that will 
cling to the pipes and clog them unless something 
more effective than hot water is used for them. 

It is an excellent idea to print something like 
the following on a placard and hang it over the 
kitchen sink. 

Dissolve a tablespoonful of washing soda in 
two quarts of boiling water, and pour it down the 
pipe, every day after washing the dinner dishes. 

This will be a constant reminder to the one 
whose province it is to attend to the matter, and 
it will keep the pipe from getting clogged with 
grease. 

From lack of education many housekeepers do 
not know that the chemical action of the various 
liquids that pass through the pipe, make a coat- 
ing on the inside of it, which is often odorless, 
but is deadly in its poisonous properties. 

It is the duty of every housekeeper to keep 
her sink under strict surveillance and to insist 
that it be kept perfecdy neat and clean. 

It is not sufficient that the outside be examined. 



HOUSEKEEPING MADE EASY. II5 

or that the sink is free from slops or grease ; the 
closet underneath, if there be one, is what will re- 
quire particular attention, and a constant watch 
kept for mouldering rags, from which poisonous 
gases will permeate the house and affect the 
health of all its inmates. 

This closet should be thoroughly washed out 
with strong hot suds once a week and the door left 
open to dry it, and no kettle, or cooking implement 
should be kept there, and no refuse pail should 
be allowed. The plan of keeping a small one 
here, to be emptied perhaps once a day is often 
devised by the maid in order to save herself steps, 
but it should not be permitted. 

It will save a housekeeper much annoyance if 
she can have this sink closet entirely removed. 
The pipes underneath may not look ornamental, 
but they can easily be painted and a mistress 
can rest secure in the thought that at least there 
is one less point to demand close attention and 
watchful care. 



CHAPTER XV. 

THE CARE OF LAMPS. 

©T^HE general use of lamps at the present time 
-■■ makes a knowledge of the care of them 
very important. 

A new lamp or burner may be neglected for a 
time and yet burn very well — but it is not safe to 
do this with an old one. 

There is nothing that adds more to the com- 
fort and cheerfulness of a room at night than a 
brilliant light, and care should be used in select- 
ing a lamp, to purchase only such as have the 
best burner that the market affords. Economize 
if need be in the style and pattern of the lamp 
rather than the burner. 

Have on hand a good supply of wicks and put 
in fresh ones as soon as the light begins to grow 
(ii6) 



HOUSEKEEPING IVIADE EASY. 1 1 7 

dim, after it has been turned up to the proper 
height. Be careful that the wicks ahvays fit ex- 
actly, that they are not too large, too small, or 
too thin for the burner. 

Use the best oil that can be purchased, and 
keep it in a tightly closed can. If the oil is ex- 
posed to the air it will give a dull light, and the 
wicks will crust over shortly after they are lighted. 

If the oil is exposed to a light from a match, 
candle, gas or other burner, there is great danger 
of explosion, and a mistress should impress this 
firmly upon her maid. 

The care of lamps is quite an item in the daily 
routine, and if there is but one maid for the fam- 
ily service, they are very apt to be neglected for 
want of intelligent care, unless the mistress takes 
this duty upon herself. 

When there is a waitress employed, the care of 
the lamps falls to her, and full directions for sys- 
tematic care of them should be given by the 
mistress in the beginning. 

A large tin tray for holding oil can, cloths. 



1 1 8 FROM ATTIC TO CELLAR : OR 

scissors, case knife, etc., will be found convenient 
for keeping the materials together, and for hold- 
ing the lamps as they are filled. 

The lamps should be filled with oil every morn- 
ing, and once a week emptied out, and the oil 
at the bottom that looks as if there was a sedi- 
ment of dirt in it should be thrown away. 

Wipe them carefully, first with a damp cloth 
and then with a soft dry one. 

Lift off the top of the wick carefully with a dry 
cloth, being careful not to let any fall on the burn- 
er. Do not use the scissors for this purpose, 
except occasionally, if you would have the best 
results. 

Turn the wick down into the burner a little 
way, and wipe the edge and sides thoroughly, and 
leave them so. If they remain above the burner, 
the wick acts as a sort of siphon, allowing the 
oil to draw up and run over the edge and down 
the burner even to the lamp — causing a disagree- 
able odor, even when the lamp is not lighted. 

Use a toothpick or a hairpin for cleaning out 



HOUSEKEEPING MADE EASY. II9 

every hole in the burners, for if these become 
clogged you cannot have a bright light, because 
these small perforations are necessary for just the 
right circulation of air. 

Wash the chimneys in hot soap suds, wipe and 
poHsh them with a dry linen towel. Many use 
old soft newspapers for this purpose. Apiece of 
sponge fastened to a stick is a good thing to clean 
lamp chimneys with. 

As often as once a month it is well to boil the 
burners for a few minutes in soda and water, or 
water in which there is a little ammonia. After 
boiling, if they are rubbed with a little sapolio 
and a flannel cloth they will look bright and new, 
and you will not be annoyed with a disagreeable 
odor or a poor light. 

Metallic lamps should be cleaned by wiping 
with a damp cloth, and polishing with a piece of 
chamois skin. 

Hand lamps that must be carried about the 
house should be made of metal. Glass or porce- 
lain lamps should never be used for this purpose. 



120 FROM ATTIC TO CELLAR. 

Often for economy when a lamp must be kept 
burning through the night, the wick is turned 
down, leaving only a dim light. 

This is a mistake, for the mechanism of the 
lamp is such that it is intended to burn with the 
flame at full heat. If the wick is turned low, 
more gas is generated than with a full blaze, and 
it becomes a distinct source of danger, as it is 
the gas, and not the oil, that explodes. 

There is no danger from a properly ventilated , 
clean lamp more than half filled with good oil 
and burning with its full light. But a sudden 
jar or fall of a lamp in which the oil is nearly 
burned out, or in which ventilation is obstructed 
by charred bits of wick, dirt, or dust, has been 
the cause of many accidents, and every house- 
keeper should realize this and feel it an impera- 
tive duty to see that each lamp receives proper 
care and attention. 



CHAPTER XVI. 

HOUSE CLEANING. 

TN all households there are certain periods in 
-■■ which the comfort of the family is subordinate 
to the good of the house. Custom has appoint- 
ed the spring as the annual time for renovating 
and cleansing, but it is as often needed in the 
fall, for the destruction of the microbes and 
germs, which have made their way during the 
hot weather into the house through various agen- 
cies. 

Certain housekeepers take work as some chil- 
dren do the measles, — "hard." Others can go 
through with a vast amount, without allowing the 
machinery to be visible. 

There is no need of turning everything upside 
down at once. Clean little by little, finishing one 

6 (121) 



122 FROM ATTIC TO CELLAR: OR 

room before beginning another, even if it is more 
convenient to have all the carpets taken up at 
the same time. 

And just here let me put in a plea for the rug 
and the painted or hard wood floor. Think what 
a saving in time, strength and expense, to take 
the rugs into the open air, beat them on the grass 
or clothes line, wash or polish the floor, and that 
part of the work is over — no buffalo bugs to fight 
in the corners or along the edges. 

Before the weather becomes warm enough for 
the actual cleaning to commence give your atten- 
tion to the closets. 

Remove the woollen gowns, search thoroughly 
for moth- eggs, shake and brush well. All flannel 
undergarments must undergo the same inspection. 
Do not be afraid to give away or sell cast-off* 
clothing for which you have no need. Too much 
trash is carefully hoarded each year, on the chance 
that "it may come handy some day," and old 
clothing is stored away in drawers and boxes to 
become a nest in which moths may breed, which 
ought to have been given away. 



HOUSEKEEPING MADE EASY. 1 23 

If there are drawers in the closet or if the 
sheh^es are movable, take them out, wash, and 
dry in the sun, and set one side, until the wall, 
floor and nails of the closet, have been wiped with 
a cloth wrung out in hot water. Leave the door 
wide open, that the dampness may be gone before 
you return your garments to their accustomed 
places. 

If you have ever been troubled with either 
moths or buffalo bugs, the closets should receive 
most thorough care and attention. Every drawer 
and shelf should be removed, thoroughly exam- 
ined, washed with hot water and soap, and a mix- 
ture of one gallon of benzine, and one ounce of 
carbolic acid, apphed. This should also be used 
for the cleats upon which they rest, and corners 
and crevices should also be saturated with it. 

There should not be any carpet on the closet 
floors, not even a mat. If there are cracks, they 
should be scalded thoroughly, and filled with 
putty. The floor can then be painted or stained. 

If there are broken places or cracks in the 



1 24 FROM ATTIC TO CELLAR : OR 

walls, fill them with plaster of Paris stirred to a 
thick paste with cold water. 

The walls should be brushed down with a broom 
over which soft cloth has been pinned, and these 
may afterwards be wiped off in the same way with 
a damp cloth. Be careful to leave the closet door 
open until everything is thoroughly dry, before 
replacing the contents of shelves and drawers, 
or hanging anything on the hooks. 

Early in February it is well to examine the 
sunny windows in the house, especially the attic 
windows for the little red and black buffalo beetle 
which bears such a strong resemblance to the 
lady bug. 

After the linen closet has been thoroughly 
cleaned, it is well to ascertain just what has be- 
come worn and needs to be replenished in both 
table and bed linen. 

After the closets, the bureau drawers and trunks 
usually receive attention. The drawers in your bu- 
reau, commode or chiffoniere should be removed, 
and the inside of the different pieces of furniture 



HOUSEKEEPING MADE EASY 1 25 

carefully cleaned. If you discover any traces of 
moth, blow a liberal supply of Persian insect 
powder into every crack and crevice. Brush and 
wipe out each drawer with a damp cloth. 

If any article of furniture needs to be repaired 
or upholstered, it is well to have it attended to, 
before commencing upon the rooms. When 
there are carpets to be taken up, and the buffalo 
bug has appeared in them, benzine should be 
used freely. 

The grubs of the beetle are little hairy crea- 
tures, so small that they can easily hide in the 
fuzz of the carpet. They should be fought per- 
sistently before they turn into chrysalis form, 
and fly away as beetles. 

It is the worm-like grub that eats the carpets 
and does so much mischief, and not the beetle. 
The beetle however must be fought, in order that 
it may have no chance to enter the house, and 
lay a new generation of grubs. 

A carpet infested with these grubs should be 
thoroughly shaken, cleaned, and saturated about 



126 FROM ATTIC TO CELLAR: OR 

the edges, with the preparation of benzine and 
carbolic acid, previously referred to. 

It should be dry before it is relaid, and should 
not be closely tacked to the floor, only sufficient 
to keep it in place, as it will need constant atten- 
tion until all the moths have been destroyed. 

Carpets should be taken up, and shaken once 
a year. They will wear longer by so doing, as 
the dust which collects under them grinds out 
the threads. 

A carpet should be beaten on both sides ; the 
wrong side first. If badly soiled, it can be cleaned 
with warm water, to which has been added bo- 
rax in the proportion of two tablespoonfuls of 
borax to a pail of water. A scrubbing brush can 
be used if necessary. It should be rinsed and 
wiped dry afterwards. 

If the carpet shows signs of daily wear, the 
breadths may be ripped apart and reversed, to 
bring the wear in a different place. 

Matting, as most housekeepers know, should 
never be soapeid. Take it up, sweep and dust 



HOUSEKEEPING MADE EASY. 1 27 

it well on both sides, then wipe it with a clean 
cloth wrung out in salt and water, rubbing it dry 
as quickly as you can, so that it may retain none 
of the moisture. The same remark applies to 
the cleaning of wicker work. 

Oil-cloths, linoleum and other floor-cloths can 
be kept bright by washing with equal quantities 
of milk and water. Once in several months a 
little linseed oil or beeswax in spirits of turpen- 
tine may be used. 

After the carpet is taken up, the stuffed furni- 
ture is beaten with a rattan beater, thoroughly 
brushed, and the smaller articles of furniture 
placed in another room — the larger ones being 
covered with furniture cloths. The pictures should 
be taken down, dusted and wiped with a damp 
cloth. 

The wood finish and walls of the room should 
be thoroughly dusted, especially the tops of the 
windows, doors, picture rail, and base boards. 

The floor should be washed first, afterwards 
the painted woodwork in water in which there is 



128 FROM AITIC TO CELLAR: OR 

a little ammonia, and the floor scrubbed if of 
plain pine boards. 

If the woodwork is stained and finished instead 
of painted, put a tablespoon of kerosene into 
some tepid water, wring your cloth dry and go 
all over the woodwork with this, rubbing in the 
direction of the grain of the wood. 

Hard wood and stained wood floors should be 
treated in the same way. 

Windows should be washed after the woodwork 
is cleaned. Ammonia or kerosene in water will 
make them bright. 

The room is now ready for the carpet, rugs, 
furniture and pictures. 

There are various preparations that can be 
bought for polishing furniture, but a very simple 
and satisfactory polish is a mixture of one-third 
linseed oil and two-thirds turpentine, put in a 
bottle and shaken before use. 

Dust the furniture well, then rub on the mix- 
ture with an old piece of flannel : only do a small 
area at a time, and polish quickly and briskly 



HOUSEKEEPING MADE EASY. 1 29 

with two or three soft rubbers, ending up with an 
old silk handkerchief. 

This home-made preparation both cleans and 
polishes, and does not in time form a sort of cake 
over the furniture, as do some patent polishes 
when frequently used. 

If the shades are soiled near the bottom, they 
can be turned and the top placed at the bottom. 
If there are stoves to be taken down, remove 
the nickel trimmings if possible, scour and wrap 
each piece separately in paper and lay in a dry 
place. 

Mattresses and pillows should be taken out 
doors and beaten ; pillows should not be placed 
where the sun will shine on them as it will draw 
out the oil in the feathers. 

Bedsteads should be taken down, and the slats 
and crevices washed with hot water and soap. 

If there is any suspicion of bugs, corrosive 
sublimate dissolved in alcohol should be applied 
by means of a small sponge. 

It is a deadly poison and care should be taken 



1 30 FROM ATTIC TO CELLAR : OR 

in using it and afterwards in keeping it out of 
the reach of children. 

Because it is a poison, many housekeepers are 
using a solution of alum in hot water, all that it 
will dissolve — with satisfactory results. It must 
be applied hot, and can not be used on any var- 
nished surface. 

For the summer months if you cannot afford 
screens at your windows, use black mosquito net- 
ting, and tack it on before the flies begin to come 
in the house. It will look better if tacked inside 
the window casing than when put on the outside. 
The netting can be left unfastened at the bottom 
to allow of opening and closing the blinds. 

It is a better way if possible to clean one room 
at a time ; commencing up stairs and going right 
through to tlie cellar — the halls to be attended to 
after the rooms are done. But many housekeep- 
ers prefer to have all the carpets removed and 
shaken at once — this may be a more expeditious 
way but it is hardly as pleasant for the family to 
have the entire household in confusion for sev- 



HOUSEKEEPING MADE EASY. 13I 

eral days without a nook or a corner that looks 
homehke and comfortable. 

In no part of the house is there greater need 
of a thorough cleaning than the cellar. This 
should be done every spring and fall. The walls 
should be thoroughly swept down and a coat of 
whitewash applied in the spring. 

If a cellar bottom is of earth and has boards 
laid down for walking on, have them carried out 
doors and swept, washed and dried in the sun 
before replacing them. 

Sweep the floor carefully, in every corner, and 
sprinkle it with a solution of copperas. Open 
all the doors and windows and let the air and 
sunlight penetrate to the remotest corners. 

There are few housekeepers who realize the 
danger that lurks in a cellar, or how important it 
is that frequent examination and attention be giv- 
en it throughout the year. Many lives have been 
lost by disease that has been traced to the cellar. 

There is always more or less typhoid fever ev- 
ery fall in country villages, as well as in cities. 



132 FROM ATTIC TO CELLAR : OR 

and if people would look to their wells, their 
drainpipes, and cellars, during the year, the cause 
of the evil might often be found. 

The potato bin should be looked over frequently 
— decaying vegetable matter under the living 
rooms will work mischief in the household. 

I have in mind a farm house, the cellar of which 
has been a receptacle for potatoes and other veg- 
etables for fifty years. 

Every summer the toadstools spring up in a 
night in the crannies between the stone steps of 
the bulkhead of the cellar, and every winter, for 
the last six years, there have been cases of sore 
throat and diphtheria in that house, and it was 
not until the physician urged the removal of the 
vegetable cellar that the people themselves had 
any suspicion of the danger they were in. 

With farm houses where there is plenty of land 
a vegetable cellar built outside the house is an 
excellent thing. Tiiis may not be possible for 
most of my readers, but care and attention to 
the house cellar can be given by housewives whose 



HOUSEKEEPING MADE EASY. 1 33 

duty it is to see that decayed vegetable matter 
is not allowed to remain underneath their living 
rooms. 

Care should be given to the ventilation. Win- 
dows should be kept open through the day espec- 
ially during the warm weather. 

Windows that are hung on hinges can be 
opened their entire extent. If they are too high 
to be easily reached, an old chair or a box strong 
enough to bear one's weight, should be kept un- 
der each one, and a strong catch for holding the 
window up will be found necessary. There should 
be a netting outside, that no animal can enter or 
leaves blow in. 

Just before the spring cleaning is the time to 
have furnace pipes cleaned out, the chimneys 
attended to and the range put in order. This 
work is very often deferred till the autumn, and 
the dust and debris which will sometimes collect 
in the best-kept heater and registers sift through 
the house all summer, leaving a thin layer of dust 
over everything that is exceedingly disagreeable. 

It is always best to have a man come to do this 



134 FROM ATTIC TO CELLAR : OR 

work, but it is also necessary to keep some watch 
over him to see that he does it properly. All the 
registers of the house should be taken out, and 
the pipes conveying the heat brushed out with 
long- handled brooms. 

In all well-regulated families the dusting out of 
the register is a part of the weekly sweeping, and 
registers on the floor should be lifted out every 
sweeping day and dusted and washed. This pre- 
vents dust and rubbish collecting in such a place, 
as it will if these precautions are neglected. 

Where the registers have been regularly cared 
for, there will be no great upheaval of dust at the 
yearly cleaning, when the pipes are brushed out. 
All parts of the furnace-box and smoke-pipes of 
the heater must also be swept free from soot when 
it is cleaned. 

To find out whether this has been properly 
done, strike the smoke-pipe, after it is replaced 
with an iron poker, and if it gives a dull, thud- 
ding sound, there is stih soot in the pipe ; if the 
pipe is clean it will have a clear, ringing sound. 
In the spring many housekeepers have the 



HOUSEKEEPING MADE EASY. 1 35 

pipes of the furnace taken down, cleaned and 
stored in the attic until fall, as the soot is apt to 
gather moisture, which will cause the pipe to rust. 

If there are no open fireplaces or other conve- 
niences for heating the house, during cold, damp 
weather of the summer, the furnace ought to be 
left in condition to have a fire made in it at any 
time. 

In the fall before cold weather has set in, the 
pipes can be taken down and carefully brushed 
out. 

All the registers should be closed and covered 
over with newspapers or cloths, to prevent the 
dust from getting into the rooms. The smoke 
pipe and the flues should be carefully examined, 
and the former replaced with a new one if the 
rust has been sufficient to eat the pipe. 

Before the winter supply of coal is placed in 
the cellar see that the fine dust is removed from 
the bins. If the coal is wet just before it is put 
in the cellar, it will prevent the dust rising from 
it and filling the house. 



136 FROM ATTIC TO CFLLAR. 

There are many homes throughout the coun- 
try where well water is used for drinking water as 
well as for other purposes. Where this is the case, 
the well itself should be thoroughly cleaned out 
once a year. During the summer more or less 
vegetable and animal matter, finding its way into 
these wells, decays and dies, and after a certain 
amount of this accumulation, the limited supply 
of running water, which these receptacles con- 
tain, is not sufficient to purify itself, and poison- 
ous germs are taken into the system, which if not 
sufficiently strong to throw them off, must suc- 
cumb to disease. 



CHAPTER XVII. 

THE CARE OF WOOLENS AND FURS. 

THE buffalo bug like the common moth pre- 
fers wool to any other material, but will not 
hesitate for any such preference to attack what- 
ever comes in his way whether it be cotton, 
leather or wool. 

They both prefer dust laden and soiled gar- 
ments to clean ones, consequently every garment 
that is to be put away for summer, should be 
placed on the clothes line out-doors, the pockets 
turned inside out, and should be thoroughly beat- 
en and brushed. 

If the material is such as will bear sponging, 
take a quart of warm water to which has been 
added about a tablespoonful of turpentine, and 
go over each article carefully. 

After they are dried, sprinkle with camphor or 

(137) • 



138 FROM ATTIC TO CELLAR: OR 

whole cloves and do them up in newspapers and 
place them in trunks or drawers which are lined 
with newspapers, with a covering of the same 
over the top. 

Portieres and heavy drapery curtains should 
be hung on the line, carefully brushed and placed 
between layers of newspapers, the edges of which 
can be carefully pasted together. 

Blankets should be washed and cared for in 
the same way. 

Furs ought to be put away for summer before 
the moth miller makes its appearance. 

Select a clear day, with fresh strong wind blow- 
ing from the west if possible, and hang your furs 
on a clothes hne out-doors, preparatory to pack- 
ing them away for the summer. 

The dust and dirt should be thoroughly beaten 
from them, and if you have one of the rattan 
frames, called "spankers," it will be of great as- 
sistance ; failing this, smooth, pliable saplings 
will answer. Have plenty of old newspapers on 
hand, as experienced housekeepers say that 
printer's ink is a protection against the moth. 



HOUSEKEEPING MADE EASY. 1 39 

The ordinary manner of packing furs is to fold 
flat, and place in boxes. This is a mistake, es- 
pecially with seal garments, as the pressure, al- 
though slight, when continued through several 
months, tends to give a crushed look to the gar- 
ment. 

Furriers keep their garments hanging, and 
ladies should do likewise. Place them on coat- 
hangers, which . support the shoulders, and pre- 
vent the garment from dragging its weight upon 
the neck and collar, thus injuring the shape. A 
home-made support of bent wire, or a thin piece 
of wood whittled to shape, will answer. 

Over the garment slip a case made with three 
thicknesses of newspaper pasted together. Sprin- 
kle borax or Dalmatian powder thickly over the 
bottom ; baste at the top, leaving only space for 
the string attached to the support, and over this 
slip another case made of unbleached cotton 
stitched tightly. Sew this firmly across the top, 
leaving the string outside to hang it up. 

Mothaline bags can be purchased ready-made 
for this purpose from 60 cents to ^i.oo, or the 



I40 FROM ATTIC TO CELLAR. 

cloth for making them at 25 cents per yard. 
Tarred paper bags are also serviceable. 

A muff can be protected in the same way by 
attaching a long loop from one end to suspend 
it by. Boas should have strings tacked at the 
ends and in the middle, in order that the strain 
may not rest wholly on any one point. Shake 
them upside down, which will cause the fur to 
stand out in a round, fluffy manner. 

Furs which have been wet ought never to be 
dried in a warm room. Furriers urge that furs 
needing repairs should be brought to them in the 
summer season, as the work can then be done 
with more convenience to themselves, and at less 
expense to the wearer. 

After the woolen clothing and furs have been 
packed away through the spring, they will need 
to be thoroughly aired before they can be used 
again in the fall. They should be placed on the 
clothes line, and then shaken and beaten. Let 
them air through several hours of a bright windy 
day, and they can then be placed in the closets 
and drawers where they belong. 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

SUNDAY DINNER AND TEA. 

THE problem of arranging the "Sunday din- 
ner" is one which perplexes many house- 
keepers. 

In a large number of families it is the only 
day in the week that the husband and father takes 
his midday meal with them, and naturally it is 
desired to have it especially enjoyable. 

But, on the other hand, it is a day that the maid 
must be regarded, also. As far as possible it 
should be a day of rest to her, and a conscien- 
tious mistress will so order her household duties 
that her maid can attend church sometime dur- 
ing the day, even if she is unable to give her the 
entire afternoon and evening which is so often 
claimed. 

(hO 



142 FROM ATTIC TO CELLAR : OR 

A mother with young children needs all the 
tact and management that she is capable of, to 
get through the day so that it may be one to be 
enjoyed and looked forward to as the happiest 
one in the week, which in theory we know it should 
be, but which in practice is often the reverse. 

If we would commence to prepare for our 
Sundays on Saturday, it might simplify the ques- 
tion and be of great assistance. 

This Saturday preparation does not mean a 
cold Sunday dinner, or a warmed-over dinner ; 
in place of that it should be made especially 
good, for by judicious forethought on Saturday 
one can select dishes that could be quickly cooked, 
a dessert that could be made the day before, and 
an additional delicacy might be added for this 
dessert which requires no cooking, such as nuts 
and raisins, or confectionery, or fruit. 

Pretty little fancy dishes, that are not used 
through the week, will help make the table at- 
tractive, and one or two flowers with a cluster of 
green leaves will give a touch of refinement and 
brighten even the plainest-looking table. 



HOUSEKEEPING MADE EASY. 1 43 

Changes in the table linen through the week 
should be made with a view to having it perfectly 
fresh and clean for Sunday. 

In our own family our Sunday tea was pre- 
pared Sunday morning, before breakfast. Thin 
bread and butter sandwiches were made, from 
which the crusts were removed and kept for bread 
puddings ; the sandwiches were cut sometime, 
into fanciful shapes such as triangles, or into long 
and narrow strips, and piled up in log-cabin style 
on a bread-plate, covered with a pretty doily. 

Maccaroons, cocoanut cakes and squares of 
cake were piled in the cake-basket, and these 
were then placed in a stone crock until tea-time 
to keep from drying, and a bowl of whipped 
cream for our chocolate was put into the ice- 
chest. 

This simple little "picnic" tea, as we called it, 
was served in our drawing-room entirely by the 
children, an easy- chair for mother being pushed 
close to a small round table, from which she 
poured the chocolate and the younger children 



144 FROM ATTIC TO CELLAR : OR 

passed it around to us. It was the most enjoy- 
able meal of the whole week, and we always 
looked forward to it. 

Cold, snowy Sundays it was the perfection of 
inward harmony and comfort, with a big log 
crackling in the grate, and mother declared that 
she never knew anything to equal our appetites 
for bread and butter sandwiches. 

The children cleared everything away ; washed 
the cups and plates, and brushed up whatever 
crumbs there were on the floor, as the maids 
were allowed to go out every Sunday afternoon, 
and mother was never called upon to do any- 
thing but pour the chocolate. 

There are many things besides the meals that 
might be planned for as a help to the day. 

If the customary change of clothing for each 
member of the family is taken from bureau or 
closet and laid carefully on a chair in the bed- 
rooms, before going to bed Saturday night, with 
buttons all on, rents repaired, spots removed 
from dress and cloaks, shoes blackened, and fresh 



HOUSEKEEPING MADE EASY. 145 

ruffs basted in neck and sleeves, much will have 
been done to ensure happiness and peace of 
mind for the coming day, and we shall have more 
time to think how we can make the day brighter 
for the others by striving to make our tones and 
manners more gentle and affectionate, and to 
give expression to the love and good-will in our 
hearts for the dear ones in our home. 
7 



CHAPTER XIX. 

THINGS WORTH KNOWING. 
DANGER IN PLATED WARE. 

THE silver-plated ware that is seen on most 
tables, is as dangerous after the plate has be- 
come partly worn as are the tin fruit cans. 

During the sultry dog-day weather of August, 
if you will unscrew the plated top of any of the 
fancy salt-holders that have been filled with salt 
for a few days, there will be found on the inside 
of this cover a collection of green salt, covered 
with verdigris from the metal, which is a danger- 
ous poison. 

Unless one can afford to have solid silver tops 
for these holders, it would be better to dispense 
with them altogether and use the open salt cel- 
lar or individual salts. 
(146) 



HOUSEKEEPING MADE EASY. I47 

Do not trust plated silver ware ; after the plate 
is worn, if you cannot replace it with solid silver, 
at least have it replated as soon as possible. 

TO CLEAN SILVER. 

The Jeweler's Circular giYQs the following di- 
rections for cleaning silver : — 

"Take either a small sponge, a piece of flan- 
nel, a piece of chamois, or a clean and dry silver 
brush j rub all the articles which have bad spots 
with salt. This removes the spots more quickly 
than anything else. The simplest method is 
to place a little prepared chalk in a saucer with 
water, of which make a thick paste, and add a 
few drops of ammonia. In place of ammonia, 
the chalk can be prepared with alcohol or sim- 
ply with water. This paste is to be brushed or 
rubbed carefully over the article." 

HOW TO WASH WINDOWS. 

Do not wash windows when the sun is shining 
on them, as they will look cloudy and streaky 
from drying before they are well polished. 



148 FROM ATTIC TO CELLAR: OR 

The glass and sash should be first dusted, and 
the window first washed on the inside with water 
which has a little ammonia in it. Rinse them 
and wipe with an old soft cloth which is fi-ee from 
lint, as soon as possible after washing, and polish 
with newspaper or chamois skin. For the cor- 
ners a small brush, or pointed stick with an end 
of the cloth may be used. 

HOW TO TEST THE HEAT OF AN OVEN. 

To judge of an oven's heat there are no better 
rules than Goufie's : *'Try the oven every ten min- 
utes with a piece of white paper. If too hot 
the paper will blaze up or blacken ; when the 
paper becomes dark brown (rather darker than 
ordinary meat pie crust) the oven is fit for small 
pastry. When light brown (the color of really 
nice pastry) , it is ready for vol au vent tarts, etc. 
When the paper turns dark yellow, you can bake 
bread, large meat pies or large pound cakes ; 
while if it is just tinged, the oven is just fit for 
sponge cake, meringues, etc. 



HOUSEKEEPING MADE EASY. 1 49 

HOW TO FUMIGATE A ROOM. 

After an illness in the house it is always wise to 
fumigate, and if the disease is of a contagious 
nature it is a necessity. The following rules for 
fumigating a room are given by the Journal of 
Health, 

The doors, windows, fireplace, etc., should be 
closed. Paste strips of paper over all the cracks. 
Fumigation by burning sulphur is most easily ac- 
complished. 

Two pounds of sulphur should be allowed for 
every room from ten to twelve feet square. 

It is better to divide it up and put it in several 
pans, rather than burn the entire quantity of sul- 
phur used in one pan. To avoid the danger of 
fire, these pans should be set on bricks, or in 
other and larger pans filled with water or with 
sand. 

After pouring a little alcohol on the sulphur, 
and properly placing the pans about the room, 
the farthest from the door of exit should be 
Hghted first ; the others in order. 



150 FROM ATTIC TO CELLAR : OR 

The operator will need to move quickly, for no 
one can breathe sulphurous fumes with safety. 

After closing the door, the cracks around it 
should be pasted up, as was done within the room. 

Six hours, at least, is generally necessary to 
fumigate a room properly; at the end of that 
time it may be entered and the windows opened, 
and they should be left open as long as is con- 
venient, even for a week, if possible. 

After fumigation, a thorough process of cleans- 
ing should be instituted. At least, the walls and 
ceiling should be rubbed dry ; much the better 
way is to whitewash and repaper. 

The floor and the woodwork and the furniture 
should be scrubbed with a solution of carbolic 
acid, or some other disinfectant. 

"A pinch of sulphur thrown upon the kitchen 
range every day would do much to keep a family 
in good health." 

THE MATTRESS. 

The spiral springs on beds injure the mattress 
unless it is covered. If they do not rust it, the 



HOUSEKEEPING MADE EASY. 15T 

pressure on the iron rings soon wears it, no mat- 
ter how frequently it may be turned. The mat- 
tress should be covered with stout unbleached 
cotton, if it is not made in separate pieces, or a 
comfortable should be placed between the springs 
and the mattress. 

If a cover is used, make it so that one side shall 
be left open to admit the mattress, and fasten it 
together with buttons and buttonholes. In this 
way the cover may be easily removed and washed 
when so desired. These covers are nice for 
single mattresses made in one piece. 

This covering may be made of a light grade 
of ticking in place of the unbleached cotton. 

The ticking is stouter, and protects the mat- 
tress better from the wear of the springs. 

If you wish to clean an old mattress, take some 
clear warm water, add a few drops of ammonia, 
enough to make the water feel smooth; then, 
with a clean cloth and white castile soap, wash 
the spots, rinse in clear water, and rub well with 
a dry cloth. 



152 FROM ATTIC TO CELLAR: OR 

Use only enough water to dampen the spots. 
If that does not remove them, dip the cloth in 
pure ammonia, rub hard, then rinse in clear wa- 
ter and dry. 

A mattress should be turned frequently from 
side to side and from head to foot, to insure its 
wearing evenly. Most people are familiar with 
mattresses sagged at one end, but may not know 
that this is due to neglect in turning. They should 
be well aired each day, and the dust removed 
from the top by brushing well with a whisk-broom. 

Most mattresses for double beds are now made 
in two parts, and some even in three sections. 
This permits a more even wear, and they are also 
much more easily turned and cared for. 

THE ICE CHEST. 

Wash every part of the ice chest thoroughly, 
twice a week with hot water and washing soda, 
pouring some of the boiling hot soda down the 
pipe. Run a long wire with a sponge tied to the 
end, down the pipe before washing it, in order to 



HOUSEKEEPING MADE EASY. 1 53 

clear the slimy substance that often gathers there 
and clogs it. See that no scraps are allowed to 
stand in the ice chest. Do not keep the milk 
and butter with meat or with anything that can 
taint it ; remember that milk and butter absorb 
odors very quickly. If there is a pan to be emp- 
tied under the ice chest, it should be attended to 
regularly night and morning, and washed and 
wiped out each time. 



CHAPTER XX. 

BITS OF EXPERIENCE. 

TO loosen the cover of a fruit jar that has be- 
come stuck, invert the jar and place the top 
in hot water for a few moments. 

Vaseline will soften boots and shoes that have 
been hardened by water, and render them as pli- 
able as new. 

If a bedstead creaks at each movement of the 
sleeper, remove the slats and wrap the ends of 
each in old newspapers. 

Stains and grease may be removed from a car- 
pet. A mixture which is excellent for removing 
grease spots and stains from the carpet and cloth- 
ing is made from two ounces of ammonia, two 
ounces of white castile soap, one ounce of glyc- 
erine, one ounce of ether ; cut the soap fine ; 
(154) 



HOUSEKEEPING MADE EASY. 155 

dissolve in one pint of water over the fire; 
add two quarts of rain water. Other spots in 
silk are to be rubbed gently with a linen rag 
dipped in this mixture. 

If the globes on a gas fixture are much stained 
on the outside by smoke, soak them in tolerably 
hot water, in which a little washing-soda has 
been dissolved. Then put a teaspoon of pow- 
dered ammonia in a pan of lukewarm water, and 
with a hard brush scrub the globes until the smoke 
stains disappear. Rinse in clean, cold water. 
They will be as white as if new. 

Long bags, the full length of dress or cloak, 
with hanging loops at the top, save from creasing 
as well as from dust and moths. 

The best thing to clean tinware is common 
soda ; rub on briskly with a damp cloth, after 
which, wipe dry. 

To clean ornaments of alabaster dissolve bo- 
rax in boiling water and apply with a cloth or 
soft brush ; rinse carefully and dry in the sun. 

Give oil-cloth a light coat of varnish when it 



156 FROM ATTIC TO CELLAR: OR 

is put down, and renew the varnish before the 
oil-cloth gets dingy. This care will keep it bright, 
and it will also last much longer. 

By rubbing with a flannel dipped in whiting, 
the brown discoloration may be taken off cups 
which have been used for baking. 

A good furniture varnish is made of two 
ounces white wax, one gill of oil of turpentine ; 
melt the wax, and gradually mix in the turpentine. 

Clean your plaster casts by making some cold 
starch and dipping them into it, brushing when 
dry. 

Paper bags, in which many articles are sent 
from grocers, should be saved for use when black- 
ing a stove. The hand can be slipped into one 
of these and the brush handled just as well, and 
the hands will not be soiled. 

Common salt is said to be one of the best 
agents for cleaning marble, such as wash-basins, 
sink-fixtures, and the like. It requires no prep- 
aration, and may be rubbed directly upon the 
tarnished surface, removing any incrustations or 



HOUSEKEEPING MADE EASY. 157 

deposits at once, leaving the marble shining and 
clean. 

To clean decanters, take soft brown or blotting- 
paper, wet and soap it, and roll it up into small 
pieces, and put the pieces into the decanter with 
a little warm water, shake well, and rinse with 
clear, cold water ; wipe the outside with a dry, 
soft cloth, and let the decanter drain. 

Many are the bits of soap which are wasted 
in the household. A good plan is to save every 
scrap in a jar or keg, and when wanted cover 
them with water, and set them on the stove to 
simmer. When melted, remove them and let 
them get cold. Crumbs made in cutting up 
soap, bits of toilet soap too small to use, all such 
odds and ends can be saved and used in this 
manner. 

Borax water will remove all soils and stains 
from the hands, and is said to heal all scratches 
and chafes. To make it, put crude borax into 
a bottle and fill it with hot water. When the bo- 
rax is dissolved add more to the water, until at 



158 FROM ATTIC TO CEU^AR : OR 

last the water can absorb no more, and a resid- 
uum remains at tlie bottom of the bottle. To 
the water in which the hands are to be washed, 
pour irom this bottle to make it very soft. It is 
very cleansing, and by its use the hands will be 
kept in excellent condition. 

To clean a gilt picture frame, wash the surface 
with a sponge, lightly saturated with hot spirits 
of wine or oil of turpentine. There must be no 
wiping, but the moisture must be left to dry. 

If your coal fire is low, a tablespoon of salt 
thrown on it will help it very much. 

Instead of putting food into the oven to keep 
hot for late comers, try covering it closely with 
a tin, and setting it over a basin of hot water. 
This plan will keep the food hot, and at the 
same time prevent it from drying. 

A few drops of ammonia in the bath will ren- 
der the water soft as rain-water. 

For cleaning paint it should be used in about 
the proportion of a tablespoon to a quart of 
warm water. 



HOUSEKEEPING MADE EASY. 159 

There is nothing better than a weak solution 
of ammonia and water for washing looking-glasses, 
window-glass, lamp chimneys, etc. 

To remove ink from cotton, silk or woollen 
goods, saturate the spot with spirits of turpentine 
and let it remain several hours, then rub between 
the hands. It will crumble away without injur- 
ing the color or texture of the article. 

Finely sifted wood ashes will remove medicine 
stains from silver spoons. Egg stains on silver 
can be taken off with fine salt and damp cloth. 
A good mixture to have in the house is com- 
posed of aqua ammonia, two ounces ; soft water, 
one quart ; saltpetre, one teaspoonful ; shaving 
soap one ounce. Scrape the soap fine before 
mixing the other ingredients, and allow it to stand 
a few hours before using. It will remove grease 
and other stains from woollen fabrics and is excel- 
lent for sponging coats and vests that have be- 
come worn and shiny looking. Rub it in thor- 
oughly with a cloth wet with the mixture, and 
then wash it off with clear cold water. 



l6o FROM ATTIC TO CELLAR. 

To remove paper labels from old bottles, wet 
the face of the label with water and hold it for an 
instant over any convenient flame. The steam 
penetrates the label at once and softens the paste. 

To keep the bread-jar and cake-box sweet, 
rinse after washing with boiling water in which 
a little common soda has been dissolved ; then 
set out-of-doors in the sun for a few hours. 

Chloride of lime will often prove a preventive 
for rats, and they will flee from its odor as from a 
pestilence. It should be thrown down their holes 
and spread about wherever they are likely to 
come, and should be renewed once in a fort- 
night. 

Powdered borax is a prevention for water bugs 
and cockroaches. Sprinkle about the sink and 
water pipes, — in a few days they will disappear. 



CHAPTER XXI. 



IN THE WAY OF ADVICE. 



®T^HE faculty of making a little go a great way, 
-^ of economizing not only with money, but 
with time, that the twenty-four hours may be suffi- 
cient for other duties besides those of housekeep- 
ing — is of real worth to any woman. 

Those who possess this faculty by nature, are 
fitted to become successful housekeepers, in what- 
ever condition of life they may be placed. 

Those who do not possess it should make every 
effort to acquire it, for the sake of their family, 
and for their own individual comfort and happi- 
ness. 

System and planning — the significance of these 
two words is equally as important to the house- 
wife as to the man or woman in business life. 

(i6i) 



1 62 FROM ATllC TO CELLAR: OR 

To be able to make investment of the money 
set aside for household expenses, in a way that 
the family may receive the most value from it, is 
something to be proud of. 

To furnish one's home with plain substantial 
furniture that can be easily kept clean, to elimi- 
nate the element of pretension from it, and yet to 
express refinement, comfort and individuality, is 
something to be proud of. 

There are many ways that may be planned to 
save steps and labor. The over -worked, nervous 
housewife especially, should bend all her energies 
to this end. For such a one it is not necessary 
to follow out to the letter, the details as given in 
this or any other work on the subject, if by so 
doing she must tax her health, or narrow her 
Ufe to the mere routine of household drudgery. 

But sufficient thought must be given that she 
may know where and when to slight her work, 
and still secure comfort for her household. 

When a woman plans to do too much in one 
day, and gets dissatisfied with herself and all her 



HOUSEKEEPING MADE EASY. 1 63 

family because she does not get through with it 
all in that time, nerves are usually at the bottom 
of it all. 

When a naturally good-natured little mother be- 
gins to grow irritable, and cannot bear the noise 
of the children's laughter, and jumps with fright if 
the door bangs, it is likely to be a case of *'The 
Nerves," and when she tells the httle ones that 
she is too tired to answer questions, and can't 
have them playing in the room with her and hur- 
ries them out of it before they have time to ar- 
gue it a bit, it is a clear case, for even the children 
understand it, and agree among themselves that 
mamma is "cross" to-day and has got "the nerv- 
ous" pretty bad, and carry off their treasures and 
their troubles to more remote quarters. 

Now if that little mother, with all her sister 
housekeepers who are troubled with this disease, 
will seat herself occasionally through the day in 
the most comfortable chair she possesses, throw 
her head against the back of it, relax every tired 
and strained muscle in her body until head, arms 



164 FROM ATTIC TO CELLAR. 

and legs hang off from her hke dead-weights, and 
sit there for fifteen minutes, it will do her more 
good than all the tonics that by and by the doc- 
tors are going to prescribe for her. Let her fol- 
low up this idea, varying it occasionally with a 
glance through the latest magazine or book at the 
time when she feels most tired and hurried, and 
she may save herself considerable suffering and 
unhappiness later on, as well as general discom- 
fort and anxiety for her family. 



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Send 30 cents in stamps if you wish one mailed. 

Salem Press Publishing and Printing Co., 
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REVISED, AND ENLARGED. 



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Paper (pocket-edition), 50 cents. Cloth $1. 

SALEM Press Publishing and Printing Co., 
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